Pooja Gandhi/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Medical illustration of coccidioides, the fungus that causes Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates Valley fever actually occurs six to 14 times more often than reported.

A clinical education program developed by Banner – University Medicine and the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson seeks to change that.

Banner requires the program for new hires and those without prior urgent care experience; it’s optional for established clinicians.

A study in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases finds testing for Valley fever more than tripled after its introduction, especially among patients presenting with pneumonia or a distinctive skin rash called Erythema nodosum, which Valley fever can cause.

Yet, more than three-quarters of pneumonia patients went untested for Valley fever.

The authors suspect prior medical training, delays in test results and fears over insurance coverage might explain the shortfall.

Most insurance providers do cover Valley fever testing.

Coccidioidomycosis, aka "San Joaquin Valley fever," can cause cough, fatigue, fever, headache, shortness of breath, night sweats, aches and pains, rash — or no symptoms at all.

The fungi species that cause the disease occur in parts of the American Southwest, Mexico and South America and Washington state.

In Arizona, most cases occur in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.