Valley Fever Hits The Columbia Basin...What is it?

I watched a story on KNDU that scared the daylights out of me Valley Fever has been discovered in the Tri-Cities/Columbia Basin region.

According to the story:

Regional and national health officials are actively testing soil in our region after cases of "Valley Fever" or coccidioidomycosis, a fungal disease have been reported.
Often times it is found in southern states like Arizona, and mimics symptoms of other diseases like influenza.

The CDC tells us you can contract it by moving dirt around and inhaling the spores of the fungus, essentially breathing it in, without knowing it.

Valley Fever for most is not a big deal but can be deadly for others and in fact one person in Walla Walla actually died from the infection.