The Global Health Atlas

WHO has launched the first global online atlas of infectious diseases, a new tool for infectious disease surveillance and control which builds on the features of the HealthMapper. Over 300 indicators for more than 20 infectious diseases of major public health concern are included in the database.

:: View full size map [jpg 245kb] Latest available HIV prevalence rate, by sentinel sites, pregnant women, 2003

In a single electronic platform, the Atlas is bringing together for analysis and comparison standardized data and statistics for individual diseases and indicators at country, regional, and global levels. The analysis and interpretation of data are further supported through information on demography, socioeconomic conditions, and environmental factors. In so doing, the Atlas specifically acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission.

Maps are used to display data on the prevalence of individual diseases, the location of at-risk populations and vector habitats, and patterns of antimicrobial drug resistance. Such maps offer easy visualization of conditions ranging from the number of villages infected with guinea worm disease, through the monitoring of polio surveillance in a selected country, to the status of resistance to chloroquine throughout the African continent.

Interactive features allow users to select layers of additional information to be displayed on maps, including the location of health facilities, schools, safe water supplies, and the specific areas where interventions have been applied. For the purpose of reports, data can be displayed as charts, graphs, and tables of country-specific statistics. Trends over time can be assessed, and situations in different countries can be compared, either for a single disease or for several diseases.

The Atlas also provides a single point of access to data collected by several electronic surveillance systems established to track individual diseases, including FluNet for influenza, DengueNet for dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever, and RABNET for rabies. Many of these surveillance systems are constantly updated through the remote entry of data by researchers and surveillance officers in countries or institutes collaborating with WHO.

With all these features, the Global Health Atlas provides a useful new monitoring tool for partners assisting WHO in its efforts to combat infectious diseases. Even those unfamiliar with the technology or new to the field of infectious disease control can readily visualize and analyse the many disease patterns and determinants, trends, and interrelationships displayed in the Atlas.

In May 2005, WHO launched World Health Statistics online database, which is built on the Global Atlas platform. The database is a compilation of the most recent estimates for almost 50 world health indicators for 192 countries, and is available at http://www.who.int/statistics. This is a collaborative effort led by the Measurement and Health Information Systems team, and supported by the Public Health Mapping and GIS team.