Fears of whooping cough at San Mateo High School are being quelled this week as county tests are coming back negative.
Dr. Sam Stebbins, deputy health officer for San Mateo County, said the nasal cultures of 15 students tested for whooping cough did not have the bacterial infection, while five remain to be tested.
Samples from six of the students were also sent to the state laboratory in Richmond but have not yet been returned.
Last week, the county took nasal swabs of 20 sick San Mateo High students to look for whooping cough after a sibling of a student there came down with it.
"There continues to be kids who are coughing and we refer them to their doctors," Stebbins said.
Whooping cough is more dangerous in young children than in high-schoolers, he added, and its spread to younger children was the main interest of the county. Stebbins said whooping cough diagnoses are also important because they can be treated with antibiotics, unlike the common cold.
Whooping cough can be spread from three to five feet of a cough, and parents can prevent it by keeping their children's shots up to date and making sure kids cover their mouth when they cough.
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