Hantavirus in Germany — 2012

Germany's largest Puumala virus year on record — approximately 2,800 reported cases

Overview

2012 was the largest Puumala virus year ever recorded in Germany, with approximately 2,800 confirmed cases reported to the Robert Koch-Institut — more than five times the long-term annual average. Cases concentrated in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, with Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia also reporting elevated activity. The 2012 spike followed a strong 2011 beech-mast year that drove a rapid bank-vole population increase across the German forested zone. The year became a reference point for European Puumala surveillance and prompted refined warnings about forest cabin cleaning, woodpile handling, and forestry-occupation exposure during high-vole years.

Germany baseline

Wide annual variation tied to bank-vole population cycles. 2012 and 2017 were peak years.

Source: Robert Koch-Institut SurvStat

Relevant strain

References & primary sources

• RKI — SurvStat (Germany)

Other years tracked for Germany