Enterovirus 71 seroepidemiology in Taiwan in 2017 and comparison of those rates in 1997, 1999 and 2007

by Jian-Te Lee, Ting-Yu Yen, Wei-Liang Shih, Chun-Yi Lu, Ding-Ping Liu, Yi-Chuan Huang, Luan-Yin Chang, Li-Min Huang, Tzou-Yien Lin

During recent 20 years, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has emerged as a major concern among children, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. To understand current EV71 serostatus, to find risk factors associated with EV71 infection and to establish future EV71 vaccine policy, we performed a seroepidemiology study in Taiwan in 2017.

After informed consent was obtained, we enrolled preschool children, 6–15-year-old students, 16–50-year-old people. They received a questionnaire and a blood sample was collected to measure the EV71 neutralization antibody.

Altogether, 920 subjects were enrolled with a male-to-female ratio of 1.03. The EV71 seropositive rate was 10% (8/82) in infants, 4% (6/153) in 1-year-old children, 8% (7/83) in 2-year-old children, 8% (13/156) in 3–5-year-old children, 31% (38/122) in 6–11-year-old primary school students, 45% (54/121) in 12–15-year-old high school students and 75% (152/203) in 16-50-year-old people. Risk factors associated with EV71 seropositivity in preschool children were female gender, having siblings, more siblings, and contact with herpangina or hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The risk factor with EV71 seropositivity in 16–50-year-old people was having children in their families in addition to older age (p<0.001). Compared with the rates in 1997, 1999 and 2007, the rates in children were significantly lower in 2017.

EV71 seropositive rates were very low, at 4% to 10%, in preschool children and not high, at 31%, in primary school students. Preschool children are highly susceptible and need EV71 vaccine most.