Analysis of the Epidemiologic Characteristics of Children with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in China

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and provide recommendations for its control and prevention. METHODS: A descriptive epidemiological analysis was designed for HFMD in children through direct network report from 2015 to 2019. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2019, a total 27,395 HFMD cases were reported at Infection Clinic of Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai, China, accounting for 79.24% of the number of reported notifiable infectious disease cases (34,573). The cases number increased since May and reached a peak from June to September, then decreased from October to December with a second small peak in some years. The proportion of cases in boys is higher than in girls (59.7% vs. 40.3%). The cases number of stay-at-home children was higher in 2016 and 2018 (60.07% and 60.95%) than in 2019 (33.47%), and that of kindergarten children and students in 2019 (51.73% and 9.75%) was significantly higher than in other years. Overall, 22606 cases were reported in <5 years group, accounting for 82.52% of the total number of cases during 2015–2019. The proportion of the cases in 5–10 and >10 years groups increased year by year from 2015 to 2019, which is statistically significant. (χ(2)=71.105, P=0.00; χ(2)=78.413, P=0.00) CONCLUSION: The epidemiological characteristics of HFMD had changed during 2015–2019. Analysis of these data can provide helpful evidence to prevention and early treatment of the HFMD, and identification severe cases and handling the outbreaks.