Cases of whooping cough, an infectious disease that is most dangerous for infants and small children, are on the rise at USC this semester, according to Chief Campus Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman.
Pertussis — also known as whooping cough or the “100-day cough,” according to Cleveland Clinic — has risen from its typical zero-to-few annual cases on campus to the teens this semester, Van Orman told Annenberg Media on Thursday. As Thanksgiving break nears and travel time spikes, Van Orman recommended that students stay diligent with noting symptoms and getting their vaccinations.
Regan Mading, a senior history major who contracted the bacterial infection while at USC three years ago, said she tested positive for the disease in late March. According to her, she was coughing through June.
“It was a really unpleasant experience,” Mading said. “Every time I would laugh, I would cough so much I would sometimes vomit, and then I was like, ‘Oh, this probably isn’t normal.’”
What is whooping cough?
Historically, before the availability of the accompanying vaccine, public health experts reported more than 200,000 cases annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While that number has dramatically decreased with modern medicine, the CDC reported increased cases over the last few decades, with a surge in reported infections in 2024.
Although whooping cough often doesn’t lead to severe symptoms in adults, Van Orman said whooping cough can still leave students dealing with symptoms for multiple months.
“For many people it’s a mild illness, so I think that’s part of the challenge … it’s not a big deal [to them],” Van Orman said. “But in some individuals and young adults, it can cause a really, really prolonged cough that can be actually quite problematic and disturbing, so we want to prevent that.”
According to the CDC, early symptoms include congestion, a light fever and mild coughing, but these signs may progress to include coughing fits with a high-pitched “whoop” in between breaths. Other advanced symptoms include vomiting, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, shortness of breath and rib fractures, the CDC noted.
Flu also peaks early on campus
Van Orman said whooping cough symptoms may present themselves as common cold or flu symptoms, so students are less likely to test for and report the illness.
“We think whooping cough is something that in general goes under-diagnosed,” Van Orman said. “But we are seeing more cases than we typically have seen, and like a lot of infectious diseases, we see it go in waves.”
Alongside witnessing a spike in whooping cough cases, Van Orman said the reported number of influenza cases came early this year, beginning with an early peak in October, as opposed to the typical December-to-February timeframe.
“It is quite unusual this year to be seeing influenza this early,” Van Orman said. “We don’t necessarily know why it is influenza A, but … it is a somewhat unusual season.”
How can I prevent whooping cough?
While she noted that whooping cough is not as contagious as other diseases, Van Orman said people who are repeatedly in close contact with one another — family members, roommates and classmates — are most likely to catch the illness.
To prevent serious symptoms, the CDC recommends adults renew their vaccine every 10 years and to call their doctor if they’re experiencing any signs of illness. When students receive notifications that they have been in contact with someone who is sick, Van Orman said it is important for them to get tested.
“Most people might get it, have the symptoms and think it’s a typical virus,” Van Orman said. “The good news is that’s fine because they get better and they do fine, but they can then be spreading it to other individuals.”
As students head into finals season with both whooping cough and influenza peaking, Van Orman encouraged students to find balance and communicate with faculty.
“We really talk with faculty about supporting students who are ill because the last thing we want is students feeling pressure to attend class when they’re really ill, not only for their own health, but also because that really puts pressure on students to come [to class],” Van Orman said. “That helps spread those illnesses to other people that might be in their cohort.”
Sean Campbell contributed reporting.
Edited by Miranda Huang and Adilene Gomez Santiago.