title: Epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Zhejiang Province, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Zhejiang Province, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic features, exposure history, clinical symptoms, and timelines of medical visits. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the characteristics of SFTS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 65 cases of SFTS were identified in Zhejiang Province from 2011 to 2013, of whom 34 were male and 31 were female. The median age was 66 years and 60 cases occurred in persons aged ≥ 50 years. The majority (91%) of SFTS cases occurred between May and August. With regard to exposure history, patients had pursued outdoor activities (63%), had a history of exposure to a tick (68%) or tick bite (29%), bred domestic animals (31%), or had a history of exposure to a mouse (57%), and some patients had a multi-exposure history. Approximately 98.46% of patients were hospitalized, and symptoms of the illness included fever (98%), fatigue (71%), chills (51%), etc. Two family clusters occurred, although there was no person-to-person transmission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Zhejiang Province, SFTS is prevalent between May and August among elderly persons who live in hilly areas, and clinical features are not specific. More emphasis should be given to this disease and further training of medical personnel should be carried out to prevent misdiagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Jimin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Chengliang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Huakun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Junfen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Daishan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Daishan, China.
authors.forename: Chengwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Enfu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
authors.forename: Shelan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China. Electronic address: zhygong@cdc.zj.cn.
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China. Electronic address: zjcdcjjm@126.com.
authors.forename: Jianmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D062306:Geography, Medical; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013577:Syndrome; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Clinical characteristics; Epidemiological characteristic; Family cluster; Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome