title: Surveillance of hand, foot, and mouth disease in mainland China (2008-2009).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Since HFMD was designated as a class C communicable disease in May 2008, 18 months surveillance data have been accumulated to December 2009. This article was to describe the distribution of HFMD for age, sex, area, and time between 2008 and 2009, to reveal the characteristics of the epidemic.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed weekly reported cases of HFMD from May 2008 to December 2009, and presented data on the distribution of age, sex, area and time. A discrete Poisson model was used to detect spatial-temporal clusters of HFMD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 1 065 000 cases of HFMD were reported in Mainland China from May 2008 to December 2009 (total incidence: 12.47 per 10 000). Male incidence was higher than female for all ages and 91.9% of patients were <5 years old. The incidence was highest in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Hainan. The highest peak of HFMD cases was in April and the number of cases remained high from April to August. The spatial-temporal distribution detected four clusters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children <5 years old were susceptible to HFMD and we should be aware of their vulnerability. The incidence was higher in urban than rural areas, and an annual pandemic usually starts in April.
authors: Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, China.
authors: Qi
authors: Q
authors: Zhu
authors: YuanTao
authors: Y
authors: Hao
authors: JiaQi
authors: J
authors: Ma
authors: ShiCheng
authors: S
authors: Yu
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006232:Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors