Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of scarlet fever in Sichuan Province from 2009 to 2018, and provide reference for the formulation of targeted prevention and control strategies. Methods The prevalence data of scarlet fever from 2009 to 2018 in Sichuan Province were retrieved from National Notifiable Disease Information Reporting System of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System, and the distributions (time, spatial, population) of this disease were described. ArcMap spatial interpolation technique was used for plotting the incidence distribution trend chart based on the reported incidence in districts and counties of Sichuan Province from 2009 to 2018. Results From 2009 to 2018, a total of 21 055 cases of scarlet fever have been reported in Sichuan Province. The incidence of scarlet fever was on the rise, but the increase was not obvious. The spring (from April to July) and winter (from October to January) were the peak period of the disease. The male-female sex ratio among the reported cases was 1.53∶1, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of men and women (P<0.05). The age of onset was mainly 3-8 years (77.69%). The scarlet fever was occupationally prevalent in children in childcare (42.21%), students (38.44%) and children in diaspora (17.94%). As for the region, the incidence increased from northwest area to southeast area, with the highest reported incidence in Chengdu City (29.46%) and the lowest in Ya’an city (0.05%). Among the diagnostic categories, clinical diagnosis cases (78.27%) were dominant. Conclusions From 2009 to 2018, the epidemic fluctuation of scarlet fever in Sichuan Province is not significant, and there are obvious peak seasons, high risk groups and severe areas. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the epidemic surveillance and health education of scarlet fever in schools and childcare institutions, as well as the disease prevention and control publicity in key areas, so as to effectively control the occurrence and spread of scarlet fever. |