Abstract: Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Shaanxi from 2008 to 2011 and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of the disease. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of HFMD reported during this period in Shaanxi province. Results A total of 130 667 HFMD cases were reported with the average annual morbidity of 87.03/lakh, the severe cases accounted for 0.84%, and the average annual mortality was 0.04/lakh. The highest average annual morbidity (177.51/lakh) was reported in Xi'an and the lowest (28.28/lakh) in Yan'an. The incidence peak occurred during April-July. More cases were distributed in males. Most cases occurred in children outside and in child care settings, the cases in age group 5 years accounted for 93.98% of the total. Etiological surveillance indicated that HFMD were mainly caused by EV71 infection, accounting for 56.48%. The severe and death cases mainly occurred in children aged 0-3 years during April-July. Conclusion The incidence of HFMD varied with area, season, age, sex and population in Shaanxi, so it was important to strengthen the targeted prevention and control of HFMD. The analysis also suggested that being young child and male were the risk factors of HFMD death.