Whooping cough finishes semester

Sixteen students at Bob Jones University in Greenville have or are suspected of having whooping cough, leading officials to end the fall semester about a week early, officials said.

The outbreak appeared to have started when one infected student returned to campus this fall, spokeswoman Carol Keirstead said. Twelve students were confirmed to have had the bacterial infection, while another four cases were suspected, Keirstead said. The private Christian university will require all 4,200 of its students have a current whooping cough vaccination before they can return next semester.