Epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B between 2004 and 2017 in Huzhou

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B （HB） in Huzhou from 2004 to 2017 in order to provide theoretical basis for the prevention of HB.

MethodsDescriptive epidemiologic methods were used to analyze the data of HB cases in Huzhou city， 2004-2017.

ResultsA total of 16 685 HB cases were reported in Huzhou from 2004 to 2017. The average annual incidence of HB was 41.58/10⁵. Incidence tended to decrease （χ²=5 094.667， P<0.01）. The incidence of HB among males was higher than that among females （χ²=2 619.143，P<0.01）， and the incidence rate among males and females both tended to decrease （male： χ²= 3 408.813， P<0.01；female： χ²=1 716.388， P<0.01）. Of the reported case of HB， 83.0% involved individuals between 20 and 60 years of age. Most of the patients were farmers， accounting for 52.41% of the total cases. The top three districts reporting high case numbers were Changxing （4 584 cases （27.47%））， Wuxing （4 356 cases （26.11%））， Anji （3 192 cases（19.13%））， while the top county/district of the annual incidence was Changxing （50.10/10⁵）.

ConclusionIncidence of HB kept decreasing between 2004 and 2017 in Huzhou. Adults are the key population vulnerable to HB virus. To further reduce the incidence of HB， it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of HB and HB vaccination rate among high-risk groups.