Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks [Interactive Map]

"The engagement of new actors in global health - from philanthropic foundations to NGOs [non-governmental organisations] to multinational corporations - has created opportunities for partnership but also challenges of coordination and policy coherence."

To address this challenge, the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a group devoted to providing independent and evidence-based analysis of health issues for policymakers, has created an interactive map that plots data on outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, whooping cough, and polio. The purpose of this resource is to promote awareness about how preventable these diseases are and to examine factors that impede efforts to eradicate them.

The Global Health Program populates the map with data gleaned from reports by the media, governments, and the global health community dating back to outbreaks starting from the autumn of 2008. Other information added to the map is via a participatory process: By completing a form on the CFR website, people may submit a point to be submitted to the map.

Red triangles indicate attacks on vaccinators and healthcare workers, as well as announcements from both governments and non-state actors that have had an impact - either positive or negative - on the successful implementation of vaccination programmes.

In addition to viewing the map online, one may embed the map and/or download the data.

The Global Health Program's research, policy proposals, and discussions with policymakers, experts, and opinion leaders are intended to foster timely debate and better understanding of pressing global health topics.