Whooping cough is a highly contagious, hacking cough and a recent rise in cases has appeared in the local health region. It's being described as more of a small, community wide outbreak, meaning cases are popping up all over town.

Five Hills Health Region Medical Health Officer Dr. Lanre Medu talks about what to do if you think you have caught the virus.

"Call ahead to your family physician to say that you have a cough and that you think it may be Whooping Cough. If there is a characteristic symptom of Whooping Cough then the physician can go ahead and prescribe the antibiotics."

Dr. Medu advises that if you are infected to minimize your contact with others as much as possible