A whooping cough outbreak that has spread from Hope to Harrison, Agassiz, and Chilliwack has not yet hit Langley, Fraser Health officials say.

Angela Wilson, a Fraser Health spokesperson, said there has been one case in Langley in recent weeks, but it is not clear whether this is linked to the outbreak, or if it is just part of the usual random background activity.

So far, Fraser Health and the provincial health department see no need to extend outbreak control measures to Langley.

More than 80 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, have been diagnosed in the Hope area since August.

Vaccination clinics in Agassiz, Hope, and Chilliwack have been up and running over the last week.

"The best protection against pertussis is to get vaccinated," said Paul Van Buynder, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer. "Pertussis in very young children can lead to hospitalization and even death."

Whooping cough can be a severe illness in people without adequate immunization, and many adults are not protected because the vaccine they got as children is only effective for four to 10 years.

Early symptoms of pertussis are like those of a cold with sneezing, a runny nose, a low fever and a mild cough, but over a week or two, the cough gets worse, leading to longer spells of coughing that often end with a whoop or crowing sound when the person breathes in.

The coughing may be so bad that it makes a person gag or throw up. Sometimes a thick, clear mucous is spit out. This cough can last up to a month or two and happens more at night.

- with files from Glacier Media