H1N1 UPDATE: 14,325 CONFIRMED CASES

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