{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://schweikert.house.gov/2023/12/12/schweikert-mccarthy-and-bipartisan-bicameral-leaders-reintroduce-forward-act-to-fight-valley-fever/", "Schweikert, McCarthy, and Bipartisan, Bicameral Leaders Reintroduce FORWARD Act to Fight Valley Fever", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "David Schweikert", "S001183", "schweikert.house.gov", "schweikert", "https://schweikert.house.gov/category/congress_press_release/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Representative David Schweikert (AZ-01) and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20), co-chairmen of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, and Representatives David Valadao (CA-22), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), and Greg Stanton (AZ-04) reintroduced the Finding Orphan-disease Remedies with Antifungal Research and Development (FORWARD) Act, bipartisan legislation that supports research initiatives to detect, treat, and combat Valley Fever, a disease caused by a fungus commonly found in desert soils that can infect the lungs of humans and canines.\n\nSenators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased to reintroduce the FORWARD Act this Congress as our Valley Fever Task Force makes significant progress in improving care, treatment, and research into this terrible disease that has devastated so many lives in our communities,\u201d said Rep. Schweikert. \u201cAs we\u2019ve seen Valley Fever cases rise across the western United States over the last decade, it\u2019s critical that we continue to prioritize the delivery of medical breakthroughs that will help treat our family members and their beloved pets. This bipartisan legislation helps to combat Valley Fever by providing resources to further close the scientific gap in understanding this disease, support research, and accelerate vaccine development that will hopefully eradicate it once and for all.\u201d\n\n\u201cArizonans know the dire impacts of Valley fever all too well, and without action, this disease will pose deadly health risks to a growing number of Americans with few tools to treat it,\u201d said Senator Kelly. \u201cWe\u2019re working to invest in the treatments and public health strategies needed to protect the health of Arizona families.\u201d\n\n\u201cFunding research and vaccine development to combat Valley fever protects Arizona families and pets in the short-term while strengthening our public health response against future infectious diseases in the long-term,\u201d said Senator Sinema. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be working with researchers, entrepreneurs, and Valley fever experts at the University of Arizona on future health care solutions.\u201d\n\n\u201cValley Fever has a huge impact on our neighbors and communities in the Central Valley, and we must prioritize the development of new treatments and vaccines to combat the spread of this disease and save lives,\u201d said Rep. Valadao. \u201cThe FORWARD Act is an important step towards finding a cure for Valley Fever, and I\u2019m proud to support it. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Valley Fever Taskforce to move this critical legislation forward.\u201d\n\n\u201cValley Fever has impacted many in California, especially in rural areas,\u201d said Rep. LaMalfa. \u201cI\u2019m pleased to join my colleagues on this effort to advance research to better detect, treat, and ultimately eradicate Valley Fever.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo family wants to learn their loved one has been infected with Valley Fever, and that there is no known cure\u2014but it\u2019s a reality that thousands of Arizonans face every single year,\u201d said Rep. Stanton. \u201cOur bipartisan FORWARD Act will make it a federal priority to develop treatments and vaccines for this devastating disease.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe FORWARD Act is an important step towards addressing the problems posed by endemic and other fungi, especially, Coccidioides, the cause of Valley fever,\u201d said Dr. John Galgiani, Director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. \u201cA vaccine discovered at the University of Arizona is now in development by Anivive Lifesciences to prevent Valley fever in dogs, and there is every reason to think it would also protect humans. The FORWARD Act will be critical to developing this vaccine to protect people from Valley fever.\u201d\n\nThe FORWARD Act is designed to one day eliminate Valley Fever by:\n\nAuthorizing $500,000,000 to support public-private partnerships to prevent and slow the spread of Valley fever infections.\n\nStreamlining the process to approve new vaccines and treatments for Valley fever.\n\nEstablishing a working group at the Department of Health and Human Services to advise on strategies that confront gaps in science that can help detect, treat, and eradicate Valley fever.\n\nBackground:\n\nArizona alone accounts for about 65% of all reported Valley Fever cases in the United States. There is currently no cure, and doctors often recommend patients take antifungal medications for life.\n\nSymptoms of Valley Fever can include a cough, fever, muscle and joint pain, and other symptoms that mimic other common respiratory infections and illnesses, which can lead to a misdiagnosis and underreported figures to the CDC. There were just over 20,000 reported cases in 2021 \u2014 the most since 2011 \u2014 signaling that Valley Fever is on the rise.\n\nWhile many cases of Valley Fever are mild, if left untreated, some cases can develop into severe fungal infections that spread from the lungs to other parts of the body and can be fatal.\n\nIn September, Rep. Schweikert and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) led a roundtable discussion with former NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski and Anivive Lifesciences at the U.S. Capitol to talk about the devastating effects of Valley Fever and receive an update on the status of preventative treatments.\n\nIn the 117th Congress, Rep. Schweikert and former Speaker McCarthy introduced the FORWARD Act, bipartisan legislation to support research initiatives to treat Valley Fever.\n\nIn 2013, Rep. Schweikert and former Speaker McCarthy co-founded the Valley Fever Task Force, with the goal being to share information with stakeholders in the medical and scientific fields to foster new advancements in prevention and treatment as well as to work with community organizations to help educate individuals on the disease.\n\nThe full text of the bill can be found here.\n\nBack to News", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://schweikert.house.gov/2023/12/12/schweikert-mccarthy-and-bipartisan-bicameral-leaders-reintroduce-forward-act-to-fight-valley-fever/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0663431603461504, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}