Pertussis Defeats Portland State University Football

The Portland State University (PSU) and the South Dakota football game on September 14, 2024, was canceled due to a pertussis (whopping cough) outbreak.

Portland State announced a case of pertussis got into the Viking team two days before game day. As a result, many team members have been exposed to the highly contagious disease that affects the lungs. As a precaution, all PSU players exposed to the virus have begun a five-day course of antibiotics.

Portland State determined that the game in Oregon would not be played in the interest of student-athletes' health.

PSU team physicians Dr. Melissa Novak and Dr. Jacqueline Brady, employed by Oregon Health & Science University Sports Medicine, collaborate closely with the Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Health Authority to ensure the safety of the PSU community and the teams and universities. PSU will compete against them in the future.

The Vikings are scheduled to play at Boise State on September 21, 2024.

In 2024, reported cases of pertussis increased across the United States. Preliminary data published by the U.S. CDC show that more than four times as many cases have been reported as of August 17, 2024, compared to the same time in 2023, and higher than in 2019.

The CDC says vaccination is the best defense to prevent pertussis, a vaccine-preventable disease. Various vaccines are offered at health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.