Data sources
OutbreakWatch only shows data published by recognized public-health authorities. Nothing is real-time: each source publishes on its own schedule, usually weekly, and reports describe the past week or longer.
Travel safety levels and U.S. embassy contact details (name, address, phone, after-hours emergency phone, website) come from the U.S. Department of State's official Consular Affairs data service and travel.state.gov (U.S. Government work, public domain), checked daily. They are U.S. government information for U.S. citizens; OutbreakWatch is not affiliated with any embassy or government and never fills in missing numbers.
Ask Nicole recognises larger cities using the GeoNames city list (© GeoNames, CC BY 4.0). It is used only to find the country, U.S. state or U.S. county a city is in; no health data comes from GeoNames, and OutbreakWatch has no city-level health figures.
City search, when a place isn't in that list, uses OpenStreetMap Nominatim (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). The open-source software OutbreakWatch is built with is listed on Open-source licenses.
Average weekly reported cases per million (4 weeks)
Source: World Health Organization; redistributed by Our World in Data — WHO COVID-19 dashboard data (via Our World in Data) · Data through Aug 30, 2026Historical · Checked today · Method
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); WHO terms of use · Update cadence: WHO: weekly to monthly by country; OWID mirror: periodic
Highest CDC travel notice level (0 = WHO outbreak report only)
Source: U.S. CDC; World Health Organization — CDC Travel Health Notices + WHO Disease Outbreak News (last 120 days) · Data through Oct 26, 2026 · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: As published
Highest CDC travel notice level (0 = WHO outbreak report only)
Source: U.S. CDC; World Health Organization — CDC Travel Health Notices + WHO Disease Outbreak News (last 120 days) · Data through Oct 26, 2026 · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: As published
Human specimens positive for influenza A(H5), last 52 weeks
Source: World Health Organization — FluNet — Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System · Reported to WHO by national influenza centres and laboratories in participating countries · Data through Oct 19, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: WHO terms of use (attribution; non-commercial reuse permitted — see notes) · Update cadence: Weekly
% of specimens positive for influenza (4 weeks)
Source: World Health Organization — FluNet — Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System · Reported to WHO by national influenza centres and laboratories in participating countries · Data through Oct 25, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: WHO terms of use (attribution; non-commercial reuse permitted — see notes) · Update cadence: Weekly
Highest CDC travel notice level (0 = WHO outbreak report only)
Source: U.S. CDC; World Health Organization — CDC Travel Health Notices + WHO Disease Outbreak News (last 120 days) · Data through Oct 26, 2026 · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: As published
Reported measles cases, 2024
Source: World Health Organization; redistributed by Our World in Data — Reported measles cases (WHO immunization data via Our World in Data) · Data through 2024Historical · Checked today · Method
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); WHO terms of use · Update cadence: Annual
Average weekly confirmed cases per million (4 weeks)
Source: World Health Organization; redistributed by Our World in Data — WHO global mpox surveillance (via Our World in Data) · Data through May 3, 2026Historical · Checked today · Method
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); WHO terms of use · Update cadence: Periodic
% of specimens positive for RSV (4 weeks)
Source: World Health Organization — FluNet — Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System · Reported to WHO by national influenza centres and laboratories in participating countries · Data through Oct 25, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: WHO terms of use (attribution; non-commercial reuse permitted — see notes) · Update cadence: Weekly
% of emergency department visits
Source: U.S. CDC — NSSP Emergency Department Visit Trajectories by State and Sub-State Regions · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
% of emergency department visits
Source: U.S. CDC — NSSP Emergency Department Visit Trajectories by State and Sub-State Regions · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
% of emergency department visits
Source: U.S. CDC — NSSP Emergency Department Visit Trajectories by State and Sub-State Regions · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
New hospital admissions per 100,000 people (week)
Source: U.S. CDC — Weekly Hospital Respiratory Admission Levels by Jurisdiction (NHSN) · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly, Fridays
Wastewater sites with a detection, last 28 days
Source: U.S. CDC — CDC Wastewater Data for Avian Influenza A (H5) · Data through Oct 20, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
New hospital admissions per 100,000 people (week)
Source: U.S. CDC — Weekly Hospital Respiratory Admission Levels by Jurisdiction (NHSN) · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly, Fridays
Confirmed measles cases reported to CDC in 2026
Source: U.S. CDC — Measles Cases and Outbreaks · Data through 2026Year to date · Checked 3 days ago · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly, Wednesdays
Wastewater sites with a detection, last 28 days
Source: U.S. CDC — CDC Wastewater Data for Measles · Data through Oct 20, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
Wastewater sites with a detection, last 28 days
Source: U.S. CDC — CDC Wastewater Data for Mpox · Data through Oct 19, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly
CDC acute respiratory illness level (emergency department visits)
Source: U.S. CDC — Level of Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) Activity by State · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly, Fridays
New hospital admissions per 100,000 people (week)
Source: U.S. CDC — Weekly Hospital Respiratory Admission Levels by Jurisdiction (NHSN) · Data through Oct 17, 2026Current · Checked today · Method
License: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · Update cadence: Weekly, Fridays
