Student Health reports higher cases of respiratory infections this season, including a few cases of pertussis — also known as whooping cough. Cases have increased on campus and throughout the county, Chief Campus Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman said in a briefing with the Daily Trojan Tuesday morning.

While initial symptoms may be similar to those of the flu and common cold, pertussis often presents with a persistent, severe cough.

“We sometimes talk about there being paroxysms of cough, where they just cough and can’t stop — not in the beginning stages of an illness, but after you’ve been sick for a period of time,” Van Orman said. “Many people will have that in the first week or two of a regular respiratory symptom, but it’s really that cough that persists.”

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Van Orman encouraged students to stay up to date on their tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccination to reduce the risk of getting the infection. Vaccinations are available at the on-campus health clinics and at USC Pharmacy.

“It’s a great time for people if they’ve not had a Tdap [vaccine] within the past 10 years, to just come in and get that updated,” Van Orman said. “It’s good for prevention of if they were to experience an injury, but also to make sure that they have a current pertussis booster.”

Treatment for the infection may include antibiotics and further care to manage long-term coughs.

“We treat people with antibiotics, primarily to stop it from spreading to other people. The treatment doesn’t always necessarily change the course of a cough that much,” Van Orman said. “We do want to find cases because we can then find people who’ve been exposed, and at times, we actually offer them treatment before they even get symptoms.”

While Student Health is not currently recording high influenza cases, according to campus health data and wastewater testing, the virus typically circulates later in the year. To reduce the risk of illness, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to get their flu shots before the end of the month.

“Influenza is variable, but most often, it starts around early December on the earlier side and then can extend into the winter,” Van Orman said. “We’re not in a period of high influenza activity right now. We’re also seeing our SARs-CoV-2 cases are certainly much lower than they were when people first came back to campus.”

Student Health said it would continue to record illness cases through laboratory testing, syndromic surveillance and wastewater testing. Currently, the campus is experiencing an increase in more common upper respiratory infections. If students experience persistent or non-improving symptoms, they are recommended to consult with their healthcare providers.

Van Orman encouraged students to seek medical care if they experience shortness of breath, rashes associated with viral infections, persistent fevers lasting more than two to three days and secondary infections, such as ear and sinus infections.

“If at any point you’re feeling symptoms such as feeling very short of breath — it’s difficult to take a deep breath, feeling like you’re having a hard time breathing — those would be reasons to seek care,” Van Orman said.

Student Health telehealth visits are also available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Healthcare providers can also refer students to come into campus clinics for further evaluations and labs, including strep tests.

“Wearing a mask when you have a cold is just really nice for other people,” Van Orman said. “Even if it’s just a regular cold if you’re living in a group setting, if roommates and other people can agree to wear masks when they have a cold, that will reduce the likelihood that it could spread to other people in that environment.”

To prevent the spread of illness, students are encouraged to stay up to date with their vaccinations, wash their hands and refrain from touching their face and mouth.

“It’s a great reminder to people to be aware of what is circulating and make sure that you’re taking precautions,” Van Orman said. “Just make sure you’ve received all the vaccines you need for vaccine-preventable diseases — and that includes pertussis, as well as influenza and a COVID-19 booster.”