[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8787-8788]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  VALLEY FEVER VACCINE DEVELOPMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Valley Fever 
Vaccine Development Act, which I introduced today.
  Valley Fever or coccidioidomycosis is a serious human disease caused 
by the inhalation of a soil-borne fungus, Coccidioides, and 
particularly impacts public health in the southwestern United States, 
specifically California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas. 
According to researchers involved in the Valley Fever Vaccine Project, 
each year a estimated 130,000 people nationwide are exposed to Valley 
Fever and there are about 5,000 cases. Of those cases, between 2,500 
and 5,000 are serious and about 500 people die from Valley Fever. The 
disease is especially prevalent in Kern County, California, which I 
represent; 1,540 cases were reported in 2004, which was an increase of 
1,137 from the 403 cases reported in 2000. Similar increases have been 
reported in Arizona, where some anticipate the number of cases this 
year will exceed 4,000. Moreover, 46 Kern County residents died from 
Valley Fever from 2000 to 2004.
  Valley Fever particularly affects those with impaired or less 
developed immune systems, including children and the elderly. The 
disease has a high incidence among minority populations as well as 
among those who work outside in occupations such as construction, 
agriculture, mining, energy, and the military. In addition, the disease 
also impact those who engage in outdoor recreational activities, such 
as

[[Page 8788]]

biking, golf, hiking, jogging, motorcycling, rock collecting, and 
tennis.
  The drugs currently used to treat Valley Fever are often ineffective 
and the average hospitalization charges for the seriously ill exceed 
$30,000. Accordingly, a preventative vaccine is desperately needed. 
Unfortunately, there currently is no vaccine for Valley Fever and there 
is no private industry interest in making the investment, estimated to 
be about $40 million, needed for the development of the vaccine.
  However, nonprofit organizations have sponsored exploratory research 
conducted by the Valley ever Vaccine Project and their efforts have 
resulted in the identification of candidate vaccines for pharmaceutical 
development. While I greatly appreciate the $930,000 that has been 
provided through the federal appropriations process since Fiscal Year 
2003 for the California State University at Bakersfield (CSUB) 
Foundation to purchase equipment needed by the Valley Fever Vaccine 
Project, additional funding is needed to develop a vaccine, 
particularly as incidences of Valley Fever continue to increase while 
treatment options are limited.
  Thus, I have introduced the Valley Fever Vaccine Development Act, 
which would authorize, from Fiscal Year 2007 through Fiscal Year 2012, 
funding for grants through the Centers for Disease Control for efforts 
to develop a vaccine to prevent and reduce the prevalence of this 
serious disease. As the development of a Valley Fever vaccine will 
directly enhance public health, I ask my colleagues to join me as I 
work to enact this important legislation.

                          ____________________