Is this only outbreak alerts?

It's the WHO's general public news feed, which includes outbreak and health-emergency updates among broader WHO news.

Why does it need a pipeline?

Like the site's News Today saver, RSS feeds are gathered server-side rather than parsed in the browser — no key needed, just a scheduled fetch.

How often are alerts published?

Irregularly, as real outbreaks are confirmed and reported by the WHO.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

What is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern?

Under the International Health Regulations (2005) it is an extraordinary event determined to pose a public health risk to other States through international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response. The WHO Director-General makes the determination with advice from an IHR Emergency Committee.

Does Disease Outbreak News list every outbreak WHO is working on?

No. WHO describes the DON as not an exhaustive list of the events it is responding to around the world.

Pandemic Alert Board Screensaver

The Pandemic Alert Board screensaver scrolls the World Health Organization's public news feed — including outbreak and public-health emergency updates — gathered by a background pipeline the same way this site's News Today saver works. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Pandemic Alert Board screensaver works

A background pipeline reads the WHO's public news RSS feed, with no key required — the same approach the site's News Today saver uses.

Each alert scrolls through with its real title and the country or region involved.

A running count shows how many alerts have appeared since the pipeline last refreshed.

Readings refresh on the pipeline's schedule, not live tick by tick.

Where WHO outbreak reports come from

The World Health Organization is the United Nations agency for international public health. Its Disease Outbreak News (DON) pages cover confirmed and potential acute public health events of concern across all hazards. WHO states that DONs are not an exhaustive list of the events it is responding to worldwide.

The items on screen come from WHO’s public news feed, so the mix is wider than outbreaks alone. Statements, announcements and policy news can sit alongside reports on specific diseases. Outbreak entries typically name a country or region and describe an illness.

WHO says it publishes a DON when an event has an unknown cause and potential international concern, when a known cause can spread internationally and do serious harm, or when public concern could disrupt interventions or travel and trade. The legal basis it cites is Article 11.4 of the International Health Regulations (2005), which lets it publish when other information is already public and authoritative, independent information is needed. A report is not a forecast and does not say how far something will spread. This is a news display of published official updates, not medical advice, and local health authorities remain the right source for guidance.

A worked example

You might see a real alert for a cholera cluster or an avian flu detection scroll past — genuine WHO public-health reporting, not a simulation.

Settings & tips

Accent recolours the alert text.
Run automation/run.py pandemicalert on your pipeline machine to refresh the data.
This is public-health surveillance, not a personal risk assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Is this only outbreak alerts?: It's the WHO's general public news feed, which includes outbreak and health-emergency updates among broader WHO news.
Why does it need a pipeline?: Like the site's News Today saver, RSS feeds are gathered server-side rather than parsed in the browser — no key needed, just a scheduled fetch.
How often are alerts published?: Irregularly, as real outbreaks are confirmed and reported by the WHO.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
What is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern?: Under the International Health Regulations (2005) it is an extraordinary event determined to pose a public health risk to other States through international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response. The WHO Director-General makes the determination with advice from an IHR Emergency Committee.
What makes WHO publish a Disease Outbreak News item?: WHO says it publishes when an event has an unknown cause and potential international concern, when a known cause can spread internationally and cause serious harm, or when high public concern could disrupt interventions or travel and trade.
Does Disease Outbreak News list every outbreak WHO is working on?: No. WHO describes the DON as not an exhaustive list of the events it is responding to around the world.

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