ObjectiveTo investigate the epidemiological characteristics of nosocomial infection (NI) outbreak incidents in recent 30 years .MethodsNI outbreak occurred between January, 1980 and December, 2009 were surveyed retrospectively through literature index survey .ResultsThere were 352 cases of NI outbreak in China in recent 30 years, 7 656 persons were infected, and 341 died． The major pathogens of infection were bacteria and virus（91.48%）, the main spread routes were contact(44.32%) and iatrogenic infection(43.18%); the peak season of NI outbreak was summer(35.51%, 125/352); the major population of cases were infants (43.99%), the mortality of infants was 84.58% (192/227); general hospitals (provincial,city,countylevel) were the high area of outbreak(73.58%, 259/352); the major infection sites were intestinal tract (32.07%), lower respiratory tract (26.19%), and blood stream(14.07%); The main causes of outbreak were cross infection of health care workers’ hands, contamination of blood product, insufficient disinfection and isolation, incorrect manipulation, et al ．ConclusionThe outbreak of NI had certain regulation, preventive measures should be drawn up based on epidemiological characteristics, so as to control the outbreak of NI effectively.