HILLSBORO, Ore. — Portland State’s football game against South Dakota scheduled for Saturday was canceled because of a whooping cough case, the Vikings announced.
“A case of pertussis (whooping cough) got into the Viking team two days ago. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that affects the lungs. As a result, many team members have been exposed to the disease,” Portland State said in a statement.
Medical staffs from both teams met, and Portland State determined the game between Football Championship Subdivision programs should not be played out of caution.
It was unclear if a Portland State player or other staff member had pertussis. The Vikings said no player is seriously ill at this time, and that information about ticketing and refunds would be announced later.
South Dakota (1-1), which belongs to the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and Portland State (0-2), a Big Sky program, were set to meet for the first time on Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium.
Portland State is set to visit Boise State next weekend. The Broncos, a Football Bowl Subdivision program from the Mountain West Conference, issued a statement saying they are monitoring the situation.
“Our utmost priority and concern are for the health and safety of everyone involved,” Boise State said.
Portland State’s fifth game of the season is set for Sept. 28 against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at Finley Stadium. UTC, which fell to 0-3 with its home loss to Mercer in the Southern Conference opener for both teams on Saturday, is off next weekend before hosting the Vikings.
Pertussis is a respiratory infection that is easily spread from person to person but can be prevented by a vaccine. It can be fatal for young children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of pertussis cases has grown since a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary data showed that in the first 33 weeks of 2024, there were four times as many cases as the same period in 2023, the CDC reported last month.