Epidemiological characteristics of clustering cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in child care settings in Licheng, Jinan, 2011

Objective To learn about the epidemiological characteristics of clustering cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in child care settings in Licheng district and provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of the disease. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of clustering cases of HFMD in child care settings in Licheng in 2011. Results Forty five epidemics of HFMD occurred from January to December 2011,involving 266 cases. The average attack rate was 2.40%. All cases were mild. The cases in age group 3-4 years accounted for 76.32% of the total cases. The incidence peak was during April-July. Totally 52 stool specimens were collected. EV71 were detected in 29 specimens (55.77%), Cox A16 were detected in 12 specimens (23.08%) and other enteroviruses were detected in 6 specimens (11.54%). The average interval between onset and treatment of the first case was 1 day and the average duration of the epidemics was 7 days. Conclusion There was statistical correlation between the epidemic duration and the timeliness of school closure (r=0.494,P=0.001). There were no significance differences on the durations of epidemics caused by different pathogens (F=0.799,P=0.466). It is essential to strengthen the surveillance of HFMD for the early detection of the first case, isolate the infected person, conduct disinfection and declare school closure to control the spread of the disease.