What is measles?

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

Why maps?

Once declared transmission free, the US has seen a dramatic resurgence of measles. In 2019, there were 1,282 individual cases of measles confirmed in 31 states. The ability to visualize these outbreaks, both in the US and globally, geographically and over time, can help non-experts appreciate the importance of measles as a public health threat and inspire them to learn more.

What about the media?

The recent outbreaks in the US and other countries have sparked great media interest in and public debate about measles. This webpage seeks to provide some context for these debates to enable news consumers to make sense of what they are reading and hearing about measles.

Explore Our Data Visualizations

visualization of geographic distribution of US vaccine exemptions

Measles in the US at a glance

In many US states measles vaccine coverage falls below the threshold needed for herd immunity. Click to learn more about one intensely-debated factor driving this trend - vaccine exemptions.

visualization of worldwide geographic distribution of measles cases

Measles worldwide at a glance

In 2019 there were a total of 429,650 cases of measles worldwide. Click to see the global distribution of those cases by country and region.

      visualization of US measles cases by state during 2019

Measles in the US over time

Once thought eradicated in the United States, measles has become increasingly prevalent. Click to see outbreaks build over a series of weeks in 2019.

      visualization of global trends in measles cases

Measles worldwide over time

While worldwide measles cases declined overall during recent decades, progress has not been uniform across countries and 2019 saw major outbreaks across all regions. Click to see an interactive visualization of these trends.

The Measles, Maps and Media Team

We are a group of passionate Harvard graduate students who emerged from the Data and Programming for Policymakers 2020 course at the Harvard Kennedy School motivated to illustrate the global burden of measles with data visualizations.

Photograph of Chevy

Chevy

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - MPH

Photograph of Alina

Alina

Harvard Kennedy School - MPP

Photograph of Ingrid

Ingrid

Harvard Kennedy School - MPA

Photograph Leonie

Leonie

Harvard Kennedy School - MPP