Abstract: Objective This analysis was to find out the epidemic features of viral hepatitis and the factors associated with its prevalence in Shawan town of Tanchang county in 2004．Methods The methods of epidemiological studies were used to do analysis on the data on the epidemic situations．Results 178 cases of viral hepatitis were diagnosed in Shawan town in 2004,the incidence as high as 741.0/lakh and hepatitis B predominant accounting for 71.4％．Men were affected more often than women in all types of hepatitis．Onset of viral hepatitis was mainly seen among the population aged 2 to 20 years with different age distribution among individual types of the disease．Conclusion The incidence of viral hepatitis was significantly higher in 2004 than in previous years，which was associated with the implementation of direct reporting through network system and the reinforcement of propaganda and supervision of the "Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases"．The poor environmental sanitation and direct drinking of tap water also contributed to the prevalence of the disease．The improvement of environmental sanitation and reinforcement of vaccination are strongly recommended．