Surveillance of hand, foot and mouth disease in Qingyang, Gansu, 2010-2011

Objective analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Qingyang, understand the epidemic trend of the disease and provide scientific evidence for the development of control strategies. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the surveillance data of HFMD in Qingyang during 2010-2011. Results A total of 1571 HFMD cases were reported during this period, the average annual incidence was 30.07/lakh. The case number in 2011 increased by 137.85% compared with that in 2010.The cases during June-July accounted for 64.51% of the total. Up to 87.14% of the cases were children aged5 years in and outside child care settings. The incidence was 38.84/lakh in males and 20.93/lakh in females. The major pathogen was EV71, accounting for 78.16%. Conclusion The incidence peak of HFMD was during June-July in Qingyang. The disease mainly affected children less than 5 years old. The incidence in males was obviously higher than that in females. The major pathogen was EV71.