OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hand-foot-mouth disease.

METHODSA total of 589 children from Xianju county, Zhejiang province with hand-foot-mouth disease in 2013 were recruited in the study and the diagnosis went through clinical and laboratory confirmation. Attributes that were analyzed included gender, age, month of occurrence, regional distribution and clinical presentation.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of hand-foot-mouth disease in Xianju county for the year was 102.72/100 000, with 12 severe cases but no death. There were clearly more boys than girls, with a male to female ratio of 1.29 :1, which was statistically significant (χ(2) = 14.274, P < 0.001). The vast majority of patients were 0-3 years old, representing 94.74% of the patients. The occurrences were concentrated in the period from April to August and November, with April as the high-incidence season. High incidence areas were the countryside and suburbs, making up 45.50% and 30.73%, respectively, of all cases. Most patients were in preschools or scattered home care environments, accounting for 51.10% and 40.92% , respectively. Clinical presentation was characterized by fever and various kinds of vesicles or papules at the hand, foot, mouth or buttocks.

CONCLUSIONMost of hand-foot-mouth disease cases occur in younger children in areas with inadequate knowledge of hygiene, with seasonal variation.