Abstract: Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of influenza in Jinzhou and provide scientific evidence for the early warning and control of influenza epidemic effectively. Methods The analysis was conducted on the surveillance and etiological detection data of influenza like illness (ILI), proportion of ILI cases in outpatient visits. Results A total of 26 483 ILI cases were reported in Jinzhou from 2009 to 2011. The ILI cases accounted for 2.86% of the total outpatient visits. Among the 3382 swabs detected during this period, 428 were positive for influenza viruses (12.65%). Among the positive swabs, A (H1N1) pdm 09 viruses accounted for 42.52%. Conclusion The monthly ILI proportion in 2011 was lower than that in 2010, suggesting that the influenza activity was milder in 2011 than in 2010. The ILI proportion was positively correlated with the virus isolation rate (rs=0.352, P=0.035). ILI proportion can truly reflect the degree of local influenza activity.