PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University (WSU) has reported six confirmed cases of whooping cough on its Pullman campus, prompting WSU health officials to increase testing and monitoring efforts.
, and . The presence of cases in residence halls and fraternities raises concerns that more students may be affected.
“We started seeing cases about two weeks ago, and we have been prepped and sort of watching for this due to what’s been happening around us,” Dr. Sunday Henry, WSU’s Director of Medical Services, said.
Henry said that this advance notice allowed the university to ramp up testing and increase the level of suspicion among health providers.
Dr. Henry explained to NonStop Local that testing for pertussis is not routinely conducted, so they proactively contacted their laboratory to ensure adequate testing capacity.
“We made sure we had that all in line. And then we also made sure that all of the providers and clinical staff here that serve the students were aware that this could be happening,” Henry said.
Additionally, WSU’s pharmacy prepared for potential high demand for Azithromycin, the antibiotic commonly prescribed for whooping cough.
The university said they implemented a vaccine policy for incoming freshmen two years ago, requiring proof of the Tdap vaccine, which includes protection against whooping cough. Dr. Henry believes this requirement has helped mitigate the spread of the illness on campus.
“We also believe that having that requirement is helping us during this time,” she said
For students who may not be feeling well, Dr. Henry advised,
“If it’s a cough that is just out of the usual, the minute you kind of start thinking this cough is different from the run of the mill upper respiratory that I’ve had in the past, then I think that that is definitely time to get in.”
Henry also recommended wearing a mask and limiting exposure to others if symptoms arise.
Whooping cough cases are on the rise in the region including the Idaho Panhandle and central Washington, experiences a surge in whooping cough infections.
