NBC Information and Stanford College have created a strong interactive map that visualizes the proportion of scholars vaccinated for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) on the county degree. The map is a key element of their six-month investigation – Childhood vaccination charges are backsliding throughout the U.S..
What the Map Exhibits (and Does not Present)
The map’s core function is to indicate the present state of vaccination charges, utilizing a choropleth map the place every county is shaded primarily based on its MMR vaccination proportion. That is efficient for figuring out areas with low vaccination charges, which the accompanying article rightly highlights as a rising public well being concern. Using a easy, dark-to-light shade scale makes the information simple to interpret at a look.
Nonetheless, the map does not visualize the change in vaccination charges over time. The investigative article emphasizes that America is “dangerously backsliding,” however the map itself solely supplies a static snapshot of the newest information. It does not present the place these steepest declines in vaccinations are occurring.
The Lacking Piece Map View
After Trump appointed the barely-sentient Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the place of Secretary of Well being and Human Companies, there was a rising tide of presidency sponsored anti-vaccine messaging – with the apparent concurrent rise in public well being scares.
To visualise this fall in vaccination charges the map would wish to additionally show the proportion level change over a selected interval, maybe the final 5 or ten years. Such a map would extra visually join the present public well being disaster to the rise of anti-vaccine sentiment and misinformation. It will instantly present the place essentially the most vital impacts of those actions, typically amplified by political figures and conspiracy theories, are being felt.
Additionally See
CDC Map of Measles Instances
CDC Map of Vaccination Charges for Kindergarteners (which curiously exhibits New Mexico as having a great charge of MMR vaccinations and never one of many worst charges – as proven on the NBC map)
