# Epidemiological Characteristics of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in Longyou County, China

## TL;DR

This paper studies the spread of a kidney disease in China, finding it peaks in spring and winter and is linked to rodent populations.

## Contribution

The study identifies rodent density as a strong predictor of disease outbreaks and reveals seasonal patterns in HFRS cases.

## Key findings

- HFRS cases peaked in spring and winter, with 22.41% and 43.10% of cases occurring in these seasons.
- Outdoor rodent density strongly correlates with virus prevalence (R2 = 0.9411).
- Rodent density has a nonlinear relationship with temperature and rainfall.

## Abstract

(1) Background: We aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Longyou County and to provide a basis for the future response to this disease. (2) Methods: Data on hemorrhagic fever and host animals were collected from 2011 to 2023. Descriptive methods were used to analyze the epidemic. The R4.4.1 software was used to show how the host density relates to the virus levels, temperature, and rainfall and to predict the host density. (3) Results: We observed 58 cases of hemorrhagic fever, the majority of which occurred in farmers. There were two incidence peaks each year during the spring and winter seasons, accounting for 22.41% and 43.10% of the total cases, respectively. The outdoor rodent population density was significantly and positively correlated with the outdoor rodent virus prevalence (R2 = 0.9411), serving as a robust predictor of the outdoor rodent virus prevalence. Additionally, the density of outdoor rodents exhibited a strong nonlinear relationship with the temperature and precipitation. (4) Conclusions: After hemorrhagic fever vaccination, rodent population density control, and rodent carrier rodent control from 1995 to 2000, the hemorrhagic fever epidemic was generally stable, and the epidemiological characteristics remained stable. In the future, we should continue to take active and effective comprehensive measures to intervene, further realize the effective control of HFRS, and prevent the recurrence of hemorrhagic fever epidemics.