Epidemiology of varicella in Guangdong province, 2005-2010

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of varicella in Guangdong and provide scientific evidence for the development of the control and prevention strategy. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the surveillance data of varicella in Guangdong from 2005 to 2010. Results Totally 132 442 varicella cases were reported during this period, including 2 deaths. The average annual incidence was 23.54/lakh. The cases were mainly reported in the Pearl River Deltaic area with the high case numbers and incidences in Guangzhou and others, but the case number and incidence in eastern Guangdong were all low. The incidence peaks were observed during April-May and during December-January. The cases mainly occurred in children under the age of 14. The age distribution of varicella cases varied with areas. The cases were mainly students. A total of 313 varicella related public health emergencies were reported from 2006 to 2010, which mainly occurred in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan, etc. The attack rates of the disease ranged from 0.44% to 75.41%. The primary schools in townships were mostly affected. Totally 16.61% of varicella epidemics lasted for more than 42 days. Conclusion The varicella epidemic was serious in Guangdong. It is necessary to strengthen the relevant studies, such as the studies on disease burden and on the prevention strategy, to further improve the prevention and control of varicella in Guangdong.