Epidemiology of hand foot and mouth disease in Tianjin, 2013-2014

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Tianjin from 2013 to 2014. Methods The incidence data of HFMD in Tianjin during this period was collected from national disease reporting information system to conduct a descriptive epidemiological analysis. Results A total of 33 587 HFMD cases were reported in Tianjin from 2013 to 2014, including 6 severe cases and 2 fatal cases. The annual average incidence was 116.41/lakh. The annual incidence peak was during week 23-30(June-July).The average annual incidence in Jinghai was highest (248.69/lakh). The cases in children outside child care settings accounted for 61.12%. The age specific average annual incidence was highest in children aged 12 months (3025.76/lakh). Among the reported cases, 2267 were laboratory confirmed. Except Cox A16 and EV71, Cox A6 and Cox A10 were also detected in 280 (12.35%) and 70 (3.09%) cases, respectively. Conclusion The results indicated that HFMD had obvious seasonality in Tianjin.The prevention and control of rural or suburban area needs to be strengthened. In recent years, Cox A6 and Cox A10 emerged and co-circulated with other enteroviruses in Tianjin, although EV71 and Cox A16 remained to be predominant.