Abstract: Yue Xiaoli, Gong Xiangdong, Li Jing, Wang Yajie Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Epidemiology, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, National Center for Sexually Transmitted Disease Control, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing 210042, China Corresponding author: Gong Xiangdong, Email: gxdchina@163.com 【Abstract】 Objective To investigate epidemiological features of genital herpes in China from 2008 to 2017, and to provide scientific evidences for developing control strategies. Methods A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted to analyze personal, spatial and temporal distribution of genital herpes cases reported from 105 sexually transmitted disease （STD） surveillance sites between 2008 and 2017. Results The reported incidence of genital herpes decreased from 8.30 per 100 000 in 2008 to 6.14 per 100 000 in 2017, with an average annual decline rate of 3.29%. There was marked variation in the reported incidence of genital herpes among different STD surveillance sites, with a range from < 1 per 100 000 to 113.51 per 100 000. The reported incidence was relatively high in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Chongqing and Hubei, but low in north China and central China. In addition, no cases were reported at a few sites in rural areas. The reported annual incidence was higher in females than in males in 2016, but higher in males than in females in the other years. The ratio of male to female cases decreased from 1.77∶1 in 2008 to 1.03∶1 in 2017. Among all the age groups, the sexually active population aged 20 - 39 years showed high reported incidence of genital herpes, with the highest reported incidence observed in the group aged 25 - 34 years （range, 17.84/100 000 - 26.89/100 000）. Among all kinds of medical institutions, general hospitals had the largest number of reported cases of genital herpes（range, 58.13% - 76.52%）, followed by specialized dermatovenereology hospitals, gynecology hospitals and maternal and child health （MCH） hospitals. Conclusions Although the overall reported incidence of genital herpes shows a downward trend, the reported incidence is high in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Chongqing and Hubei. Therefore, different prevention strategies are needed to be developed according to the epidemiological features.

Key words: Herpes genitalis, Incidence, Population surveillance, Epidemiology