Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of hand foot, and mouth disease in a Shenzhen sentinel hospital from 2009 to 2011

Background: We investigated the epidemiological and clinical data of all hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) cases in a sentinel hospital of Shenzhen, China from 2009 to 2011. Methods: HFMD cases diagnosed in our institution were assessed from 2009 to 2011. Both epidemiological and clinical features were analyzed retrospectively. All the fatal cases were reported. Results: A total of 12132 patients were diagnosed with HFMD, of which 2944 (24.3%) were hospitalized. Of the 2944 hospitalized patients, the highest proportion of diagnosed cases were admitted in May and July (989/2944, 33.6%). In 2009 all severe HFMD cases were diagnosed with enterovirus 71 (EV71). In 2010 and 2011, some of the severe HFMD were diagnosed with Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16). Incidence was highest in 0-4-year old children, with males being predominant. There were sporadic cases with HFMD the whole year except in February. All cases were cured in 2009. Six deaths were reported during 2010 and 2011. Conclusions: EV71 can cause severe complications and deaths in our region. HFMD is an important public health problem in Shenzhen in spite of stringent measures taken in preschool centers. A high degree of vigilance should be maintained over the disease situation.