Pertussis on Bob Jones University Campus: How They Effectively Prevented a Would-be Crisis

Recently, there was an outbreak of a pertussis, better known as whooping cough, on the campus of Bob Jones University. Rumors flew like wild on and off campus. No one knows who had the first case, or how it came to the campus. First anyone knew about it, there was one case, and students were being urged to see the doctor if they had any symptoms. Soon, a couple of play performances were canceled due to one of the actors being quarantined.

Behind the scenes, university administration was in constant contact with the local clinic as well as the health department. What to do, how to handle a possible crisis, was the subject of constant consideration. On the surface, no one knew what a big ordeal this was going to turn out to be. First reports told of 30-50 people who were confirmed pertussis sufferers, and hundreds were "exposed." Apparently, whooping cough is highly contagious, so exposure could be gained by as little as sitting next to someone in class.

Then, the announcement. It was formally announced that classes were going to end early by a week. Faculty were urged to be "gracious and flexible." Rearrange or cancel assignments, shorten exams, count projects toward grades only if they helped the student. Everyone went into a hyper mode. Next came a flurry of email instructions regarding antibiotics and doctor visits and immunizations. Those who had suspicious symptoms were quarantined on the campus hospital and eventually to an overflow area.

Those who had no symptoms but where exposed to someone who did have symptoms were directed to the doctor to receive a prescription for a "Z-pak" - a strong antibiotic guaranteed to kill just about anything. Everyone was urged to get immunizations. Within two days, over 800 immunizations had been given, and several hundred Z-paks had been given out. The campus pharmacy worked overtime to handle all the cases as speedily as possible. The atmosphere on campus did not indicate that a crisis was going on. Some students made up poems and songs that showed an amazing cheerfulness and resilience.