H1N1 Spikes By Over a Third in a Week: 10,368 New

UNCLAS BERLIN 001418 AMCONSUL FRANKFURT DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC SECDEF WASHINGTON DC USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USMISSION GENEVA 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 Spikes By Over a Third in a Week: 10,368 New Cases; 5 New Deaths REF: Berlin 1389 and previous ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: From October 26 to November 1, the number of confirmed H1N1 infections in Germany rose by 10,368 cases to 40,271 total cases. Five more deaths were reported in Germany due to H1N1 increasing the total number of death to eleven. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) At its November 9 press briefing, the National Reference Center for Influenza at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) confirmed a total of 10,368 new (laboratory and non- laboratory) H1N1 cases in Germany over the period October 26 to November 1, increasing the total number of H1N1 cases to 40,271. Bavaria (bordering the Czech Republic and Austria) remains the German state with the highest number of confirmed virus cases with a total of 12,590, followed by Nordrhein- Westfalen (8,468) and Baden-Wuerttemberg(5,395). Five more German H1N1 Deaths -------------- ¶3. (U) On November 5, RKI confirmed the deaths of three patients due to H1N1. ONE person from Rhineland-Palatinate, a 52-year old woman from Baden-Wuerttemberg and a 40-year old man from Berlin died on November 4 in Germany due to the new virus. In all three cases, the patients were considered to be "risk patients" and had underlying HEALTH conditions. ¶4. (U) Media reports indicate that two more people infected with H1N1 have died. A 15-year old student from Kassel (Hesse) died on November 6 of heart disease. She had been hospitalized and was infected with the new flu. A 55-year old woman died at Dusseldorf University Hospital on November 7 of H1N1. The patient reportedly came from Iran and traveled to Dusseldorf for treatment. The woman had suffered from a chronic disease before the infection. This increases the H1N1 deaths in Germany to eleven. Skepticism over H1N1 vaccine vanishes; Germany worried about vaccine shortage -------------- ¶5. (U) Two weeks after the beginning of the national vaccination campaign against H1N1, the initial skepticism over the vaccine has reportedly vanished in Germany. HEALTH officials from the federal states are reporting a significant increase in those seeking H1N1 vaccinations. However, some federal states have reported a supply shortage due to production shortfalls, creating waiting lists for those seeking the vaccine. In reaction to this development, Federal Health Minister Philipp Roesler (FDP) has called for a HEALTH ministers' conference for this Wednesday to assess the new flu situation in Germany and to discuss potential weaknesses in the national vaccination supply scheme. MURPHY