VZCZCXRO7029
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDF RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHPB
RUEHPOD RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRL #0582 1381428
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181428Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4124
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0336
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 7996
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0740
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1460

UNCLAS BERLIN 000582 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CE PETER SCHROEDER 
STATE FOR OES/IHB 
STATE FOR AID/GH/HIDN 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
HHS PASS TO CDC 
HHS FOR OGHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU ECON PREL SOCI CASC EAGR MX GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY H1N1 FLU UPDATE: 14 CONFIRMED CASES 
 
REF:  A) Berlin 545, B) Berlin 537, C) Berlin 526, D) Berlin 
518, E) Berlin 512, F) Berlin 495, G) Berlin 488 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On May 15, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) 
confirmed two additional cases of A/H1N1 Influenza in Germany, 
increasing the total number of confirmed cases to fourteen. 
The spouse and son of a man from the state of Saxony-Anhalt 
confirmed to have the virus two weeks ago also tested positive 
for H1N1.  These individuals represent the third and fourth 
cases of human-to-human infection of the virus in Germany. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
Two New Cases of H1N1 in Saxony-Anhalt 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The National Reference Center for Influenza at the 
Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Friday, May 15 two 
additional laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 for Germany. 
This increases the total number of confirmed cases in Germany 
to fourteen (please see reftels for previous cases). 
 
¶3. (SBU) The spouse and son of a man from the state of Saxony- 
Anhalt who was confirmed to have the virus two weeks ago, also 
tested positive for H1N1.  RKI reported that the spouse had 
also traveled to Mexico but the son had not. Neither 
previously exhibited any flu symptoms. According to local 
media, both had taken anti-viral medicine.  RKI announced that 
both were tested as part of a scientific investigation of 
household contacts of confirmed virus cases.  This is the 
fourth confirmed case of A/H1N1 for the federal state of 
Saxony-Anhalt (other Saxony-Anhalt cases reported in Refs C 
and D). 
 
 
Third and Fourth Cases of Human-to-Human Infection 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Local media report these cases as Germany?s third and 
fourth examples of human-to-human infection of the virus.  In 
the two new confirmed virus cases, both Germans became 
infected with the A/H1N1 virus after having had contact with 
the Saxony-Anhalt man confirmed to have the virus. 
Previously, a nurse and a fellow patient from Bavaria (neither 
of whom had been to Mexico) had become infected with the 
A/H1N1 virus after having contact with a patient hospitalized 
and confirmed to have H1N1 (Ref 512).  However, RKI reaffirmed 
that all of the cases to date are considered mild. 
 
 
KOENIG