Congressman McCarthy Announces Valley Fever Symposium in September

On September 23rd and 24th, Congressman Kevin McCarthy will organize a Valley Fever Symposium to be held in Bakersfield.  Attending and speaking at the events will be Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins.  The directors and their staffs will have the opportunity to see our community’s involvement in fighting Valley Fever and share with our community the latest developments and advancements in Valley Fever research.

“I am pleased Dr. Frieden and Dr. Collins are coming to the Central Valley to see first-hand what our community is doing to combat Valley Fever,” said McCarthy. “Through this symposium, we will continue the ongoing collaboration and involvement among our community, academia, the private sector and Federal officials to improve diagnosis and treatments. Our goal is to continue raising awareness and prevention of this disease as well as continue to work on developing a vaccine.”

“I applaud Rep. McCarthy’s leadership on this issue and deep understanding of Valley Fever,  which had a serious impact on his district and throughout the southwestern US.  This symposium will convene CDC and NIH experts to help raise critical awareness of the disease, therefore improving prevention and screening.   I look forward to visiting California in September and to engaging in a meaningful dialogue with our state and local partners to further explore how public health interventions can prevent and fight this disease.“ – Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“NIH is conducting and supporting research to learn more about Valley Fever, which is a significant health concern in the southwestern United States.  Improving detection, optimizing treatment, and developing prevention tools are important goals for biomedical researchers to pursue.  I look forward to meeting with Representative McCarthy and others who attend this landmark conference to discuss how best to move forward.” – Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health

“We must continue to raise awareness to fight Valley Fever and we are excited that this event will be held in our community. With the number of cases currently rising, this event is an opportunity to continue to educate our community and get involved.” - Mike Cooper, Chair of the Valley Fever of Americas Foundation

Additional details on the symposium will be announced as soon as they are available.

The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S.  As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.  (Source:  www.cdc.gov)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency—making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.  NIH is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world, creating hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs by funding thousands of scientists in universities and research institutions in every state across America and around the globe. (Source:  www.nih.gov)

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