Is Valley Fever contagious from animal to animal or animal to human?
Valley Fever is considered a noncontagious disease. Even if multiple animals or humans are affected in a household, each infection was acquired by inhaling spores from the soil. Coughing cannot spread it between animals or people. In the case of draining lesions, the form of the organism in the fluid is not considered to be infectious to people or animals. Nevertheless, such lesions are best handled by bandaging. Bandages should be changed daily or every other day and discarded in outside waste containers to minimize risk of contaminating the environment. For immunocompromised persons living in a household with a pet that has a draining lesion, it is best to consult your physician regarding this issue.
