ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of clusters of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in kindergartens and schools in Jinshan District, Shanghai Municipality from 2016 to 2021, so as to provide insights into improving the prevention and control measurements of HFMD in Jinshan District.@*Methods@#Data of HFMD cases in Jinshan District from 2016 to 2021 were collected through Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System, and data pertaining to HFMD clusters in kindergartens and schools were also collected. The scale, temporal distribution, regional distribution and distribution of cluster places were descriptively analyzed. @*Results@#Totally 338 HFMD clusters involving 974 cases were identified in kindergartens and schools in Jinshan District from 2016 to 2021, with an average attack rate of 9.89%. The number of cases in each cluster ranged from 2 to 12 cases, with a median number of 2 (interquartile range, 1) cases, and there were 223 clusters involving 2 cases, accounting for 65.98%. The duration of clusters ranged from 1 to 16 days, with a median duration of 4 (interquartile range, 3) days. HFMD peaked from April to June (136 clusters, 40.24%) and from September to December (176 clusters, 52.07%). All the 11 streets and towns (high-tech zones) were reported HFMD clusters, and the three largest number of clusters were reported in Zhujing Town (72 clusters, 21.30%), Shanyang Town (63 clusters, 18.64%) and Tinglin Town (40 clusters, 11.83%). There were 268 HFMD clusters in kindergartens (79.29%) and 70 in schools (20.71%), and the prevalence of HFMD clusters was higher in kindergartens than in schools (35.51% vs. 17.03%; χ2=31.507, P<0.001). @*Conclusions@#HFMD clusters in kindergartens and schools showed seasonal characteristics from 2016 to 2021 in Jinshan District, which predominantly occurred in Zhujing Town, Shanyang Town and Tinglin Town, and kindergartens were the main places.