BELGIUM: H1N1 REPORT FOR NOV 9-15: NUMBER OF ESTIMATED

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001576 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC AMED CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR, AMGT, TF, BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM: H1N1 REPORT FOR NOV 9-15: NUMBER OF ESTIMATED CASES FALLS AGAIN; ONE ADDITIONAL DEATH BRINGS TOTAL TO TWELVE REF: BRUSSELS 1526 ¶1. For the second week in a row, the number of estimated H1N1 cases in Belgium fell significantly, to 17,850 from November 9 to 15 (week 46),from 33,584 the previous week, according to a November 19 press release by the Government of Belgium's Interministerial Influenza Commission (IIC). One death was reported in week 46, bringing the total of H1N1-related fatalities in Belgium since the outbreak began in April 2009 to 12. The country's vaccination program for health care and education workers and members of risk-groups continues, with approximately 1,944,000 doses of Pandemrix vaccine so far having been delivered to general practitioners and healthcare institutions via pharmacies; 329,285 vaccinations have been registered in the electronic tracking system. ¶2. While indicating it would be premature to draw conclusions from the latest results, the IIC did say in its press release that the transmission of the H1N1 virus has fallen at least for now. Since the start of the H1N1 virus pandemic in April 2009, 173,758 people have been contaminated by H1N1 in Belgium. ¶3. BELGIAN H1N1 CASES (ESTIMATED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED*) -------------- WEEK DATE NUMBER CASES CUMULATIVE NUMBER CASES -------------- -------------- 46 NOV 9-NOV 15 17,850 173,758 45 NOV 2-NOV 8 33,584 155,908 44 OCT 26-NOV 1 47,170 122,324 43 OCT 19-25 39,053 75,154 42 OCT 12-18 16,167 36,101 41 OCT 5-11 7,477 19,934 40 SEP 28-OCT 4 3,997 12,457 39 SEP 21-27 1,753 8,460 38 SEP 14-20 911 6,707 37 SEP 7-13 462 5,796 36 AUG 31-SEP 6 402 5,334 35 AUG 24-30 539 4,932 34 AUG 17-23 966 4,393 33 AUG 10-16 995 3,427 32 AUG 3-9 687 2,432 31 JUL 27-AUG 2 851 1,745 30 JUL 20-26 507 894 29 JUL 13-19 387 387 APR 27-JUL12 126* (source: Belgian Scientific Institute Public Health, Brussels) *total of individuals testing positive during that period (Note: Belgium ceased individual testing for H1N1 in mid-July 2009, and since then has used extrapolations from a system relying on data based on cases of patients who visit the approximately 180 doctors who make up the so-called national H1N1 network. Note also that sometimes in the weekly reports from the BSIPH that historical data from previous weeks reflected in the above table sometimes are changed, reflecting adjustments/corrections.) GUTMAN