Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergencies in schools from 2008 to 2019 in Hebei Province, China.
Methods Descriptive epidemiology was used to describe the geographical, chronological, and population distribution characteristics of public health emergencies in schools from 2008 to 2019 in Hebei Province.
Results From 2008 to 2019, there were 481 public health emergencies in schools in Hebei Province, of which, 40.33% (194/481) occurred in cities, 24.32% (117/481) in counties and towns, and 35.34% (170/481) in rural areas. Public health emergencies peaked from March to June and from September to January of the next year; in primary schools, public health emergencies accounted for 70.48% (339/481), and the number of cases accounted for 67.95% (14 352/21 121); events due to infectious diseases accounted for 96.88% (466/481) of all public health emergencies, with respiratory infectious diseases as the dominant events, accounting for 96.57% (450/466).
Conclusion Primary schools are the key places where public health emergencies occur. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of emergency respiratory infectious diseases in primary schools in back-to-school seasons every spring and autumn.
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