Epidemiology of hepatitis A in Xichou county in Yunnan province, 1996 - 2008

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis A in Xichou and provide evidence for the targeted prevention and control. Methods The epidemiological analysis was conducted on data of hepatitis A cases reported by Xichou CDC from 1996 to 20008. Results A total of 779 cases of hepatitis A were reported during this period, the average annual incidence was 31.42/lakh. The incidence was highest in 1999 (101.03/lakh) and lowest in 2006 (4.39/lakh). In 1999, hepatitis A outbreak occurred in county town, the incidence of the disease began to decline in 2000, but little rise and fall was observed in the following years. During this period, the incidence in Xisa township in 1999 was highest (485.98/lakh). The populations affected mostly were students, farmers and children in or outside child care settings. The majority of the cases were distributed in age group of 10-25 years, accounting for 60.00%. The male to female ratio of the cases was 1.42 ∶ 1. Conclusion As the result of strengthened hepatitis A vaccination and drinking water disinfection since 2000, the overall incidence of hepatitis A in Xichou declined from 31.92/lakh in 2000 to 6.41/lakh in 2005. It is necessary to increase the coverage of hepatitis A vaccination to protect the susceptible population.