Valley Fever
Indian techie Chiranjeevi Kolla,37, dies after battling Valley Fever for a month in US
An Indian tech professional has died in the United States after battling Valley Fever, a rare fungal infection that led to respiratory failure.
Chiranjeevi Kolla, 37, died on May 5 at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek after a month-long battle with the illness, according to a GoFundMe page created to support his wife, Pavani Marella, and their five-year-old son, Vihan.
The fundraising page described Kolla as “the kind of person who never raised his voice, never cut a corner, and never made anyone feel small.”
According to the page, Kolla initially developed what appeared to be ordinary flu-like symptoms in April.
“When it kept getting worse, he went to the emergency room. Doctors first diagnosed it as severe pneumonia. Then the tests came back: it was Valley Fever — a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides, picked up from spores in California’s soil,” the page said.
It added that while most people infected with the fungus may never realise they have it, in Kolla’s case, the infection severely overwhelmed his lungs.
As his condition deteriorated, he was intubated and placed on a ventilator.
Despite fighting the infection for nearly a month, Kolla died on May 5.
What is Valley Fever?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Valley Fever is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides (kok-sid-e-OI-deze), a fungus commonly found in soil in parts of the southwestern United States.
Also known as San Joaquin Valley fever, the illness is contracted by inhaling airborne fungal spores released from disturbed soil.
Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
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