VZCZCXRO0172
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDF RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHPB
RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRL #1025 2370526
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250526Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5002
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0153
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0404
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 8234
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC 0173
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0840
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1552

UNCLAS BERLIN 001025 
 
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: H1N1 UPDATE: 14,325 CONFIRMED CASES 
 
REF:  A) Berlin 1023, B) Berlin 1014 and previous. 
 
¶1. (U)  SUMMARY: The number of confirmed H1N1 infections in 
Germany increased over the weekend by 585 cases, bringing the 
total as of August 24 to 14,325.  Local health officials said 
that the recent Berlin World Championship in Athletics had no 
impact on the increase in H1N1 cases in the capital. END 
SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U)  At its August 24 press briefing, the National 
Reference 
Center for Influenza at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) 
confirmed a total of 585 new (laboratory and non-laboratory) 
H1N1 cases in Germany, increasing the total number of H1N1 
cases to 14,325. 
New cases were distributed among the federal states as 
follows: Baden-Wuerttemberg (119), North Rhine-Westphalia 
(111), Schleswig-Holstein (82), Bavaria (74), Lower-Saxony 
(36), Hesse (30), Saxony (17), Berlin (14), Rhineland- 
Palatinate (65), Hamburg (11), Saxony-Anhalt (11), Saarland 
(9), Thuringia (4) and Brandenburg (2), 
 
¶3. (U)  According to RKI, 362 of the total 585 new cases are 
attributed to people returning from travel abroad.  New cases 
include non-laboratory H1N1 cases that exhibited symptoms 
after being in contact with a laboratory confirmed infected 
person. 
 
¶4. (U)  North Rhine-Westphalia remains the German state with 
the highest number of confirmed virus cases with a total of 
4,728,  followed by Lower-Saxony (2,321) and Baden- 
Wuerttemberg (1,816 cases).  About 24 percent (3,375) of all 
confirmed infections in Germany have resulted from domestic 
transmission. 
 
 
Despite International Sport Event, No Spike In H1N1 Cases 
---------------------------------------- 
¶5. (U)  Fears that the 12th International Association of 
Athletics Federation (IAAF) Championship in Athletics which 
took place August 15-23, 2009 in Berlin and attracted some 1.3 
million spectators would lead to a spread of the new virus did 
not materialize.  Berlin Senate Health official Dr. Stefan 
Poloczek told us on August 21 that there has not been a new 
virus infection reported that was associated with the major 
sport event.  The rate of increase in H1N1 infections over the 
past week has been moderate, he said, stating that the Berlin 
Senate does not expect that the championship will have had a 
noteworthy impact on the flu infection development in Berlin 
(Note: from August 15- 21, 51 new infections were confirmed in 
Berlin. End Note).  To date, Berlin has reported 338 virus 
infections. 
 
 
MURPHY