Surveillance of hand, foot and mouth disease in Yangquan in Shanxi, 2008-2011

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Yangquan, Shanxi province and provide evidence for the development of effective prevention and control strategies. Methods Epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of HFMD reported in Yangquan through network directly from 2008 to 2011. Results A total of 3328 HFMD cases were reported during this period, including 4 severe cases and 1 death. The area and year specific differences in incidences were statistical significant. (2=957.21,P0.01). Children under age 5 were mostly affected, and the cases in boys were more than those in girls, the difference was statistical significant (2=64.78,P0.01).The seasonality of HFMD was obvious with incidence peak during May-July. Throat swabs were collected from 181 patients to detect the virus nucleic acid, and 32 swabs were EV71 positive, 22 were Cox A16 positive and 38 were other entericvirus positive. Conclusion The differences in HFMD incidences in terms of seasonality, age and gender were obvious in Yangquan. It is necessary to emphasize the HFMD prevention and control in children aged 5 years, especially in those in child care settings.