Speaker McCarthy takes Valley Fever fight to D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- (KBAK/FOX58) Speaker of the House and Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy is set to become Co-Chairman of the Valley Fever Task Force in the United States Congress. The fungal disease has troubled Kern County for several years.

McCarthy's office sent the following statement to Eyewitness News:

“As local and regional advocates work towards a cure for Valley Fever, I am proud to serve as a Co-Chairman of the Valley Fever Task Force in Congress to continue to bring awareness to this fungal disease in D.C. and across our nation. Along with my friend and fellow Co-Chairman, Congressman David Schweikert from Arizona, we will work with our colleagues to ensure that places like the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical continue to have the resources they need to develop new diagnostics, treatments, and eventually a vaccine to eliminate this disease once and for all.”

In addition, Kern County's other U.S. Representative David Valadao spoke to Eyewitness News this morning about his colleague's appointment and the need for more research into the disease.

"Valley fever is not something that is widely recognized across the country. It is starting to impact other regions but it is something that once it impacts a person it can be devastating for that person so we have to respond quickly, doctors have to understand it. So to bring the taskforce in to help bring in the resources to make sure hospitals have access to the research and the treatments that are desperately needed to treat valley fever is really important to all of us so we are going to continue to work hard on it."