OBJECTIVE Epidemic diseases have been recorded in traditional chinese medicine(TCM) for a long time,this paper describes the cognition of TCM on treatment and prevention for epidemic diseases.METHODS This topic was discussed from etiology,pathogenesis,and the process of epidemic diseases in TCM.TCM holds that the occurrence of epidemic diseases is the result of the combined effects of the seasonal and environmental factors,and the internal factor of human body and the epidemic pathogenic factors play the same important role in the process of epidemic diseases.The diagnosis patterns of syndrome differentiation were six meridians,differentiation of Wei,Qi,Ying,and blood,and syndrome differentiation of Sanjiao.RESULTS TCM emphasizes the harmful effects of pathogenic factors on human body,while it pays more attention to the sufficiency of vital Qi defeating the pathogenic factors and the maintenance of human body positive vital Qi.Beside the treatment method,also have some preventive methods been described in TCM,such as different sterilization methods.CONCLUSIONS TCM has its unique system in struggle against epidemic diseases.It is useful and effective in preventing and treating the epidemic diseases.