Epidemiological characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease in Guangxi province, 2010

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Guangxi in 2010 and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of the disease. Methods The descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of HFMD in Guangxi in 2010. Results A total of 164 197 HFMD cases were reported in Guangxi during this period, including 2592 severe cases and 160 deaths. The reported morbidity was 338.13/lakh and the case fatality was 0.097%. The cases in children under 3 years old accounted for 82.04% of the total. The etiological surveillance indicated that the positive rate of enterovirus 71 (EV71) was 37.39%. Among the severe and death cases, the proportions of EV71 infection were 82.37% and 91.72% respectively. Conclusion HFMD occurred widely in Guangxi with local outbreaks in 2010.The incidence peak was observed during April-May. Most reported cases were children under 3 years old. The majority of reported cases were caused by EV71.