‘It took everything’: the disease that can be contracted by breathing California’s air

Valley fever, derived from a fungus that lives in the US south-west's soil, is on the rise as climate crisis dries out the landscape

The illness that would change Rob Purdie's life started with a headache, a terrible pain that began around New Year's 2012 and stayed for months.

It was only after several trips to urgent care facilities, multiple doctors and incorrect diagnoses - everything from sinus infections to cluster headaches - he learned what was wrong with him.