Epidemiological characteristics of patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Dongyang City / 预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective @#To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province from 2017 to 2022, so as to provide insights into SFTS prevention and control. @*Methods@#Data pertaining to patients with SFTS in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022 were collected from Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with SFTS were descriptively analyzed, and the trends in incidence of SFTS was evaluated using annual percent change (APC). @*Results@#A total of 32 SFTS cases were reported in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022, with mean annual incidence of 0.63/105, and 8 cases died, with a fatality rate of 25.00%. The incidence of SFTS appeared a tendency towards a rise from 2017 to 2022 (APC=40.697%, P<0.05). The male to female ratio of SFTS cases was 0.78∶1, and farmer was the predominant occupation (31 cases, 96.88%). SFTS predominantly occurred among individuals at ages of 51 to 69 years (20 cases, 62.50%), and the incidence peaked during the period between March and May and between July and August (28 cases, 87.50%). SFTS cases were reported in 11 out of the 18 townships (streets) in Dongyang City, with the highest number found in Zuocun Township (8 cases, 28.13%), and had the lowest platelet count of (41.46±5.19)×109 platelets/L, with the lowest count of (3.00 to 67.00) ×109 platelets/L. All the SFTS cases had a history of mountain forest and farmland activities 2 weeks prior to onset of the disease, and 5 cases (15.63%) had a history of tick bites.@*Conclusions@#The incidence of SFTS appeared a tendency towards a rise in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022, and SFTS was highly prevalent in spring and summer, with high incidence among farmers. Intensified health education of SFTS is recommended among residents in high-incidence areas.