Instructions: Click on individual countries for details. Some countries may differ slightly from legend colors due to the presence of multiple outbreaks.
About the System Biopreparedness Program
The NYC Health + Hospitals System Biopreparedness Program was established in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak and operates within the Central Office of Biopreparedness and Emergency Management. As part of the largest municipal healthcare system in the United States, our system-wide program takes an "all-infectious-diseases" approach to biological preparedness and response.
Enhancing biopreparedness one outbreak at a time
| Disease | Location | Country | Transmission Status | Last Updated | Notes |
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NYC Health + Hospitals Resources
Resources and fact sheets for special pathogens will be available here.
About the Special Pathogens Biopreparedness Map
The Special Pathogens Biopreparedness Map is an open-source initiative developed by the NYC Health + Hospitals System Biopreparedness Program and embedded into our Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management website. This interactive tool visualizes real-time outbreak data to support clinicians, public health officials, and emergency management professionals in monitoring and responding to special pathogens and other biothreats.
The System Biopreparedness Program operates within NYC Health + Hospitals' Central Office of Biopreparedness and Emergency Management, part of the largest municipal healthcare system in the United States. Established in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the program takes an "all-infectious-diseases" approach to biological preparedness and response.
The map is actively maintained by members of the System Biopreparedness Program, including Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEP; Keira Wickliffe Berger, MSN, MPH, RN, CHEP; and George Johnson, MPH.
About the System Biopreparedness Program
The NYC Health + Hospitals System Biopreparedness Program was established in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak and operates within the Central Office of Biopreparedness and Emergency Management. As part of the largest municipal healthcare system in the United States, our system-wide program takes an "all-infectious-diseases" approach to biological preparedness and response.
Enhancing biopreparedness one outbreak at a time
Goals
- Support healthcare delivery screening and initial response for special pathogens, following the CDC's "Identify, Isolate, and Inform" strategy.
- Provide access to disease-specific resources for end users, including two-page Special Pathogen Clinician Fact Sheets for each pathogen that outline case definitions, signs and symptoms, epidemiological risk factors, infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance, and link to local health department contacts.
- Promote situational awareness of both current special pathogen outbreaks and endemic special pathogen threats globally.
Note: Endemic vector-borne diseases are not monitored within this dashboard due to the complexities of surveillance. However, these diseases are regularly tracked and reported through the Monthly Outbreak List, which is updated in near real-time.
Definitions
According to our published Special Pathogens Frontline Playbook, special pathogens:
- Are associated with high morbidity and/or mortality;
- Have a high likelihood of secondary cases (person-to-person spread);
- Lack an effective vaccine, prophylaxis, or treatment; and
- Might prompt the use of a biocontainment unit due to clinical or public health concerns.
Special pathogens pose a significant risk to healthcare personnel and require specific facility processes to ensure early identification and isolation of infected patients, as well as the use of effective infection control practices to prevent transmission during evaluation.
Transmission Status Definitions
- Continued transmission: Ongoing transmission with active cases
- No continued transmission: Within a second incubation period (no active cases; outbreak nearing closure)
- Endemic: Constant presence or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area (CDC).
If an endemic country reports active cases of endemic diseases or any other special pathogen, they will be marked under high concern.