VZCZCXRO4166
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDF RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHPB
RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRL #1518 3351417
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011417Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5930
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 8332
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC 0190
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0904
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1577

UNCLAS BERLIN 001518 
 
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 GM
SUBJECT: H1N1 Update: 132,965 Confirmed Cases, 61 
H1N1 Deaths 
 
REF A:  Berlin 1451 and previous 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: From November 8-20, the number of 
confirmed H1N1 infections in Germany rose by 
33,787 cases to a total of 132,965 cases.  The 
number of H1N1 deaths in Germany increased to 
sixty-one.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U) At its weekly press briefing on November 
30, the National Reference Center for Influenza at 
the Robert Koch Institute 
(RKI) confirmed a total of 33,787 new laboratory 
H1N1 cases in Germany from November 8 to November 
20, increasing the total number of H1N1 cases to 
132,965 (Comment: As of November 8, non-laboratory 
cases are no longer included in RKI's reporting. 
End Comment)   Bavaria remains the German state 
with the highest number of confirmed virus cases, 
with a total of 30,120, followed by Nord Rhine- 
Westphalia (NRW) (26,431) and Baden-Wuerttemberg 
(19,233). 
 
German H1N1 Deaths Increase 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) As of November 30, RKI has confirmed the 
deaths of sixty-one patients due to H1N1.  The 
deaths are distributed among the German states as 
follows: NRW (21), Bavaria (13), Lower-Saxony (6), 
Hesse (4), Baden-Wuerttemberg (3), Rhineland- 
Palatinate (3), Thuringia (2), Mecklenburg- 
Vorpommern (2), Berlin (2), Bremen (1), 
Brandenburg (1), Saarland (1), Schleswig-Holstein 
(1) and Saxony (1).  In the majority of cases, the 
patients had underlying health conditions and were 
considered to be "risk patients".  We are aware of 
eight cases (2 NRW, 2 Lower Saxony, 1 Bavaria, 1 
Hesse, 1 Rhineland-Palatinate, 1 Saxony) in which 
patients reportedly had no underlying health 
conditions. 
 
 
First Wave of H1N1 passed? 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) According to media reports, the number of 
people with acute respiratory infections due to 
H1N1 in Bavaria has decreased, indicating that the 
situation is slightly improving.  However, given 
the increased number of infections throughout 
Germany, RKI health experts warn that it is too 
early to call this the end of the first wave of 
flu.  The state health ministers are expected to 
meet on December 1 to discuss how urgently they 
should recommend vaccination for Germans who do 
not belong to one of the three risk groups - 
health care workers, people with underlying health 
conditions, and pregnant women - that were already 
advised to get the H1N1 vaccination. 
 
 
MURPHY