Canadian whooping cough warning

28 February 2012 09:09

Health officials have issued a whooping cough warning for parts of British Columbia, Canada

Health officials have issued a whooping cough warning for parts of British Columbia, Canada

Canadian health officials have issued a warning over whooping cough as the disease continues to sweep through parts of British Columbia.

There have been more than 140 suspected or confirmed cases of the illness since early December, according to the Fraser Health Authority.

Hotspots for the outbreak include the Hope, Chilliwack and Agassiz areas, but officials said it has also spread to other communities.

With this in mind, anyone travelling into the region might want to double check what their pre-existing medical travel insurance covers, just in case the worst happens.

The authority said the genuine number of cases is likely to be considerably higher because of those that are yet to be reported.

The illness causes severe coughing that lasts for months and can be serious for young children and babies who catch it.

Chief Medical Health Officer Dr Paul Van Buynder has said the best way to safeguard against whooping cough is to get vaccinated, especially for people who have contact with children.

Dr Buynder has called for adults who had the vaccination as a child to book a booster shot and parents to make sure their children are also vaccinated.

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