Health agencies across Canada are reminding people to make sure their vaccinations are current as outbreaks of potentially deadly whooping cough have been declared in areas across the country and in the U.S.

This comes after one-monthold Harper Whitehead died last week after contracting the illness in Lethbridge, Alta.

The hardest hit areas include southern Alberta, southwestern Ontario, the Fraser Valley in B.C., and New Brunswick.

From January to Apri l , Public Health Ontario reported 170 cases, compared to 29 cases in the same period last year.

Alberta Health Services said the province normally has one or two cases reported annually, but there have already been more than 40 cases reported this year.

Since mid-July, more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed in New Brunswick.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it’s monitoring the increased cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

“Immunization is the best defence against pertussis,” spokesman Sylwia Gomes said in an e-mail.

The agency blames the spike on missed vaccinations and the cyclical nature of the disease — it peaks every two to five years.

Whitehead was too young to be immunized, however her family is warning parents about the importance of vaccinations.

“We are hopeful sharing our story will send a message to people who don’t think this disease is real and choose not to be immunized or have their children immunized. This is real,” Whitehead’s aunt Dani.