Epidemiology and etiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease in Huizhou City between 2008 and 2011

To study epidemiological features and etiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), 42,012 cases were investigated from April 2008 to December 2011 in Huizhou, China. The average incidence rate was 21.16 per 10,000. The highest peak of HFMD incidence was detected between April and July each year, accounting for 55.93 % of all reported cases; another peak occurred in October through December, accounting for 24.17 % of the cases. Of the reported cases, 89.75 % were in children less than 4 years old, and there was a slight predominance of HFMD in boys and children living in rural and suburban areas. The major pathogens causing HFMD were enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16). C4a was the most prominent EV71 subgenotype circulating in Huizhou. This founding provides insight for developing public-health interventions for the control and prevention of HFMD, especially for reducing the risk of HFMD in high-risk individuals by taking precautions against enterovirus infections.