The Increase of Measles in Europe

Last year there was a three fold increase of measles cases reported in Europe than in the previous year. The main reason for this increase is the gaps in the vaccination rates of children against the disease. Many of these gaps are caused by misinformed parents who refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated.

Measles in Europe is a story map which shows the latest incidence rates of measles in European countries. It also explores some of the reasons why most European countries have seen such huge increases in measles cases. The data for the map comes from the World Health Organization. This data only includes the number of reported cases of measles in each country. The actual number of measles cases is probably much higher across the whole continent.

The Measles in Europe story map was made using the Leaflet.js mapping library. If you are interested in how to make a similar choropleth map then you should follow the Interactive Choropleth Map tutorial on the Leaflet website. The story map element of Measles in Europe was adapted from Mapbox's demo map Fly to a Location Based on Scroll Position. Feel free to re-use and adapt this story map as you see fit. The code for the map can be viewed, adapted and copied on Glitch.