The epidemiological characteristics of herpangina and its pathogen distribution in Beijing, 2016

Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics of herpangina and its pathogen distribution in Beijing, so as to provide reference for the prevention and control of herpangina. Methods The initial diagnosed cases of herpangina and hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) were obtained from the HFMD surveillance hospitals in fifteen districts of Beijing in 2016. Personal profiles and clinical manifestations were collected, and the throat swabs were tested after sampling. Results There were 744 herpangina cases included, of which 86.83% were under 5 years old, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.23:1. There were 1 935 HFMD cases of which 88.94% were under 5 years-old, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.40:1. Most cases were included during May to July. Among herpangina cases, the time interval between onset and diagnosis was in (1.08±1.32) days; while in HFMD cases, it was (1.12±1.33) days (t=0.614, P=0.336). The proportion of fever in herpangina was higher than that in HFMD (67.20% vs 45.94%, x2 = 96.158, P<0.001). All herpangina cases were in mild medical condition, whereas 21 (1.09%) cases of HFMD developed into severity. A total of 401 (53.90%) herpangina and 1 362 (70.39%) HFMD cases were enterovirus positive (x2=64.640, P<0.001). The highest proportion of pathogen in herpangina was non-EV71, non-CA16, and non-CA6 enterovirus (62.59%), while the highest proportion in HFMD was CA16 (44.93%). Conclusions A large proportion of herpangina and HFMD were children under 5 years olds, and males lightly outnumbered the females. The case numbers of herpangina and HFMD peaked during May and July. The distribution of pathogen differs in herpangina and HFMD cases, and the clinical manifestations vary accordingly. Herpangina was good in prognosis. Enteroviruses can cause both herpangina and HFMD. The isolation of herpangina cases and environmental disinfection can therefore refer to the controning guidance and measures of HFMD. Key words: Herpangina; Pathogen; Hand-foot-mouth disease