Huntington Beach, CA, September 13th, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated September 20th through the 24th as Fungal Disease Awareness Week. It is a time for the agency and partners to highlight the importance of recognizing serious fungal diseases and the fact that some fungal diseases that cause serious infections in the United States go undiagnosed.
Fungal diseases are often caused by fungi that are quite common in the environment, and while most fungi are not dangerous, some types can be harmful to health. This can be especially true for people with a weakened immune system. One such common fungi that can cause serious infections in vulnerable populations is Aspergillus. This makes its presence a significant concern in places such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes. Transmission can occur through inhalation of airborne conidia and occasional outbreaks of cutaneous infection have been traced to contaminated biomedical devices.
“For 2021, the CDC has stated that it is important to consider fungal diseases in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because the symptoms of some fungal diseases can be similar,” said Joseph Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at LA Testing. “These symptoms can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Due to this, the agency is encouraging healthcare providers and patients to ‘Think Fungus’ when symptoms of infection do not get better with treatment.”
In addition to infection concerns, exposure to elevated levels of any type of fungi in the air can cause respiratory irritation, allergies, and even act as an asthma trigger for some people with the condition. These are all reasons that LA Testing offers indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and infection control laboratory services to detect fungi and other microbial pathogens and contaminants. LA Testing’s California laboratories also provide sampling supplies, easy-to-use test kits, air monitoring instruments, and building inspection tools.
To learn more about mold and other indoor environmental quality testing services or products, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com, or call (800) 755-1794. To access IEQ test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.
About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash, and smoke damage, particulates, and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health, and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego, and Ontario.