BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- The Valley Fever Walk kicked off on Saturday to raise awareness about valley fever, a fungal disease that killed 49 people in Kern County last year. The event started at 9 a.m. on April 12 at Beach Park. Community members participated to raise awareness about the dis ease that anyone could get, including house pets. "I had no energy, and I just felt like I just couldn't get enough air in, and then came the high fevers, and it was just constant,” Latocia Manley, a valley fever survivor, said. “I couldn't walk very well. I couldn't see straight. I couldn't think. It was really bad." Faces of Valley Fever campaign hopes to stop the death rate In 2024, 49 people in Kern County died from valley fever and 3,900 others were infected. Valley fever grows in the dirt and spreads in the dust. To prevent valley fever, the public is encouraged to limit their exposure to dust, wear an N-95 mask when outside, wet down dirt to reduce dust and talk to their doctor about getting tested for valley fever. "Anyone who has respiratory infection symptoms: flu-like, cough, chest pain, headache, fever that lasts more than 10 days -- think about valley fever," Dr. Rasha Kuran with the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical said. ...read more read less