Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of herpes zoster in the general population in Suqian of Jiangsu province in 2022, and provide reference for the formulation of herpes zoster prevention strategies.

Methods By using the hospital information management system, the diagnosis and treatment information of herpes zoster cases in all the general hospitals at grade II and above in Suqian in 2022 were collected, and the data were statistically analyzed by descriptive epidemiological method.

Results A total of 4740 herpes zoster cases were registered in 2022, with an incidence of 9.51/10 000.The incidence rate in women (9.81/10 000) was higher than that in men (9.21/10 000)( χ ²=24.424, P <0.05). The cases were mainly distributed in people aged 50–80 years; The cases occurred all the year round and the case count in December was lowest (254/4740). The cases mainly saw doctors in dermatology departments due to illness, and the top three clinically diagnosed types of the cases were postherpetic neuralgia (47.22%, 2238/4740), herpes zoster with other complications (22.38%, 1061/4740) and herpes zoster (21.84%, 1035/4740).

Conclusion The incidence of herpes zoster was relatively low in Suqian in 2022, and the incidence was closely related to gender and age, the main clinical manifestation of post herpetic neuralgia was postherpetic neuralgia, which is of great harm to the health of middle-aged and elderly people. According to the epidemiological characteristics of herpes zoster, it is necessary to strengthen the disease surveillance, health education and vaccination in key populations.