GJN
I don't know where you got your info from but valley fever is not caused by some mite - - but rather from a fungus in the desert ground. Construction & excavation disturbs the ground & releases the fungus. Winds carry the fungus in the air & people catch it. Many in AZ have it without knowing it since they can mistake the symptoms for something else. The elderly are more prone to severe reactions since their immune systems are weaker.