Diabetes Spreading Like A Virus

The percentage of adult Americans diagnosed with diabetes has risen steadily for the past 20 years, up to 8 percent of the population in 2008.

The rise in diabetes is, of course, linked to the rising rates of obesity across America. But what’s truly stunning is just how prevalent the disease has become, and how meteoric the growth rates are. Slate has produced a sobering time lapse animation showing the inexorable spread of diabetes across America. Here’s what the country looks like on a county-by-county basis in 2004. The darker the color, the higher the incidence of diabetes.

Click on map to launch an interactive display, plus county by county data.

Diabetes Spreading Like A Virus

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