Germany
Puumala hantavirus HFRS · Germany, nationwide (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, NRW foci) · verified historical
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Summary
New record Puumala virus epidemic year in Germany with more than 2,800 laboratory-confirmed PUUV cases reported to the Robert Koch Institute, surpassing the previous 2,017-case peak in 2010. The 2012 peak followed an abundant 2011 beech mast that drove bank vole (Myodes glareolus) reproduction over the winter. Cases concentrated in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony — the established PUUV foci in western and southern Germany. During October 2011 – April 2012 alone, 852 HFRS cases were reported, of which 580 (68%) originated in Baden-Württemberg.
Why this matters
Largest documented hantavirus year in Germany, used widely as a reference epidemic for vole-driven PUUV dynamics in central Europe and as a baseline for 2-to-3-year cyclic peaks (2007, 2010, 2012).
Sources
- T1 Hantavirus-Erkrankungen in Deutschland 2012 Robert Koch Institute — Epidemiologisches Bulletin · 2026-05-07
- T1 Hantavirus epidemic in Germany, 2012 Eurosurveillance / ECDC · 2026-05-07