Stories
How the map changed: stories of disease through history
Maps of disease are rarely fixed. Some shrank to nothing, others spread to new continents. These stories follow those changes, using the data on the map where it exists and published research where it does not.
Open the map ↗On the map
The Black Death on a map: plague in Europe, 1347–19006,846 recorded plague outbreaks in Europe on a map, from the Black Death in 1347 to 1900: the worst years, the busiest places and why it retreated.50 years of measles on one map (1974–2024)Reported measles cases by country, 1974–2024, plus monthly WHO data to 2026: the fall from 5.6 million cases, the 2019 rebound and new outbreaks.The global retreat of polio on a map, 1980–2023Paralytic polio by country since 1980: from 52,630 cases in 112 countries to 42 in 2016, and why vaccine-derived outbreaks keep polio on the map.Cholera around the world since 1949: mapping the seventh pandemicReported cholera cases by country, 1949–2024: the seventh pandemic from 1961, Latin America in 1991, Haiti in 2010 and Yemen’s record outbreak.COVID-19 cases by country, year by year (2020–2026)Reported COVID-19 cases by country and year from WHO data, 2020–2026: 444 million cases reported in 2022, and why reports then fell by more than 99%.How dengue expanded around the worldDengue went from severe epidemics in 9 countries before 1970 to over 100 endemic countries and a record 14 million cases in 2024. How it spread.
Beyond the map
How malaria disappeared from EuropeMalaria was once common from the English fens to Sicily and the Caucasus. How Europe reached zero local cases in 2015, and why the risk has not gone.How smallpox disappeared from the mapHow smallpox was erased from the world map, from the 1967 intensified campaign to the last natural case in Somalia in 1977 and eradication in 1980.
About the data
Data and methodsWhere the map’s data comes from and how to read it: WHO reports, OpenDengue, historical plague records, monthly data, colour scales and gaps.Frequently asked questionsAnswers about the Diseases Map: which diseases it covers, how far back the data goes, why countries are blank, monthly data and reusing the data.About the Diseases MapAn independent atlas of reported infectious disease that shows the evidence without filling gaps, estimating infections or inventing spread routes.