Order Your Own Valley Fever Test with My Lab ReQuest™

Valley Fever affects thousands of people across Arizona and the southwestern United States each year. Unfortunately, there is still a very low level of awareness about the disease and many cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed, resulting in patients not receiving the appropriate care. With My Lab ReQuest, you can order your own Valley Fever Screening for just $47 and confirm your status with a simple test.

Have you been suffering for at least two weeks with three or more of symptoms of Valley Fever? Get tested today and get fast, reliable results within days to confirm your diagnosis. Our Valley Fever screening is available at all of our 70 Patient Service Centers located across Arizona. Place your order online and schedule an appointment for the time that is most convenient for you.

Why Order Your Own Valley Fever Screen with My Lab ReQuest?

Since the passage of the law in 2015 that allows for consumers in Arizona to order their own lab tests, thousands of patients have used our My Lab ReQuest service to take charge of their health and make more informed healthcare decisions. Our Valley Fever Screening is just one of the several infectious disease screenings we offer to patients to assess their health status for various diseases.

Patients choose Sonora Quest Laboratories to meet their lab testing needs for a wide range of reasons, including:

Award-Winning Quality

As the nation's largest integrated laboratory system, Sonora Quest Laboratories delivers award-winning quality services every day to more than 23,000 patients across Arizona. We are the #1 bioscience company in Arizona, according to Ranking Arizona, and we are also the only healthcare company to even win the Arizona Governor's Award for Quality. Most importantly, we are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the organization whose accreditation ensures the highest standard of care for laboratory patients.

Convenient Locations

Schedule an appointment or walk in to any of our 70 Patient Service Centers located across Arizona! We have over 45 locations in Metro Phoenix, 14 locations in Tucson and Southern Arizona, and various other locations across Northern and Western Arizona. Moreover, several of our locations are conveniently located inside of Safeway markets so that you can plan your screening around your trip to your neighborhood grocery store.

Learn More about Valley Fever

What is Valley Fever?

Valley Fever is an infection caused by inhalation of the wind-borne spore of the fungus Coccidioides. Valley Fever is primarily found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Each year, over 100,000 people might become infected with Valley Fever and over 30,000 will become ill. Many people will not develop symptoms of the infection but others will develop symptoms that are similar to those of the flu and pneumonia. Some people may also develop a severe form of the disease in which the fungus spreads to the lungs and other parts of the body.

Valley Fever in Arizona

While the fungus Coccidioides is found throughout the southwestern United States, two-thirds of all Valley Fever cases reported nationwide are in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Of the cases that are reported in the state, 94% are in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties.

As a result of the presence of Valley fever in our region, Arizona residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of the disease in order to best recognize a possible infection. In addition, anyone living in Arizona with risk factors for dissemination is encouraged to exercise greater caution and to seek medical attention if Valley Fever is suspected.

Who is at Risk for Valley Fever?

Anyone living or traveling through an area in which the fungus Coccidioides is found is at risk for Valley Fever. According to the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, the chance of infection is approximately three percent per year.

Although everyone has the same risk of contracting Valley Fever, there are certain risk factors for dissemination, which is the spread of the infection to other parts of the body. According to the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, these risk factors are:

• Immuno-suppressed 
  
  
• Lymphoma
  
  
• HIV+/AIDS
  
  
• Adrenal Corticosteroid Therapy
  
  
• Third Trimester Pregnancy
  
  
• Male
  
  
• African-American
  
  
• Filipino

Certain seasons and weather conditions are also more conducive to the spread of Valley Fever. However, it is important to note that the risk for Valley Fever is always present and that it can be contracted at any time.

Is Valley Fever contagious?

No, Valley Fever is not contagious.

What are the symptoms of Valley Fever?

In many cases, people will not have any symptoms of Valley Fever. In fact, according to the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, around 60% of those infected with Valley Fever have no symptoms or only very mild symptoms. However, when symptoms do present themselves, the symptoms of Valley Fever are often similar to the symptoms pneumonia and the flu. As a result of these similarities, Valley Fever may often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

How can you prevent Valley Fever?

There is currently no known method for preventing Valley Fever. Living or visiting an area in which the fungus that causes Valley Fever is present exposes a person to the risk of inhaling the spores that cause the disease. With that said, the Valley Fever Center for Excellence recommends that people stay away from blowing dust and that people in certain occupations wear masks in order to minimize their risk for infection.

Who should be tested for Valley Fever?

If you have suffered for at least two weeks with three or more of the following symptoms, you should consider a Valley Fever Screening (if not already diagnosed with Valley Fever):

• Fatigue/tiredness
  
  
• Cough
  
  
• Trouble breathing
  
  
• Fever
  
  
• Drenching night sweats
  
  
• Painful bumps on the shins
  
  
• Muscle/joint pain
  
  
• Chest pain

If you do not have symptoms of Valley Fever, you should not be tested.

How is Valley Fever diagnosed?

Valley Fever is most commonly diagnosed with a blood test. Tissues, bodily fluids, and x-rays may also be used in diagnosis. 

Valley Fever Treatment

Most people will recover from Valley Fever without the need for treatment. Therefore, it is best to talk directly with your doctor to determine whether or not you need treatment. Your doctor may decide to use an antifungal medication such as fluconazole, also known as Diflucan®, to treat your Valley Fever. However, it is important to note that antifungal medications can cause side effects and should only be used as prescribed by your doctor. For a list of doctors that treat Valley Fever, please visit the Valley Center for Excellence website.

Valley Fever Center for Excellence

Sonora Quest Laboratories has established a partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services and The University of Arizona Valley Fever Center of Excellence to monitor Valley Fever in the state of Arizona.

The objective of our Valley Fever Diagnostic Center will be to:

• Educate and raise awareness among patients and physicians
  
  
• Develop new methods to improve turnaround time and test sensitivity to early infections
  
  
• Monitor the disease and identify spikes in positivity rates

We will work closely with public health epidemiologists and clinicians at the Valley Fever Diagnostic Center to bring together the interdisciplinary expertise needed to guide this effort.

*It is solely your responsibility to promptly discuss all laboratory test results with a physician. Neither Sonora Quest Laboratories nor its Medical Director will provide interpretation, counseling, consulting, or care recommendations on the basis of any laboratory results provided to you.