Healthmap provides current information concerning the potential public health threats. It was founded in 2006 by researchers, epidemiologists and software developers at Boston's Children's University. This website utilizes informal online sources: World Health Organization, Geosentinel, Eurosurveillance, etc., to monitor and update disease outbreak 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The homepage of the web site provides three major tabs: Global, Local and News. The Global tab is the default. There is a map located just under these tabs, with various location markers that reflect the level of disease prominence in an area. A basic search box is located just above the map that allows users to search for a particular disease or location. There is also an advanced search option that allows users to search multiple diseases, locations, and news feeds for a particular time frame. There is a listing located underneath the map of the most recent disease alerts, which is updated every hour. There is also a link that allows users to add an outbreak to the map if it has not been listed.
The Local tab asks users to input their current location, and then provides a map of the local area with a listing of current outbreaks. The listing of current outbreaks is categorized into several sections such as: animal, environmental, gastrointestinal, vectorborne, etc. The webpage also provides links to local government health department web sites.
The News tab, presents users with Healthmap's online publication, The Disease Daily. The content for the publication is created by a group of medical doctors, public health professionals, and veterinarians. Its purpose is to put disease alerts into context and demonstrate to readers the impact of infectious diseases on communities, economies and government policies. The web page allows users to browse news sections and see recent comments, popular daily articles and most viewed articles.
Healthmap is a freely accessible web site. It is highly recommended for libraries, local health departments, hospitals, governments, and travellers looking for up-to-date information concerning public health threats. The website also provides apps for users to access information alerts from their mobile devices.
