Argentina confirms first death to new flu variant as cases grow

Argentine authorities have confirmed the countrys first death associated with a new variant of flu, the influenza A (H3N2).  The patient was a 74-year-old Spanish man who had arrived in the country to spend the holidays. He was hospitalized after developing severe respiratory symptoms and ultimately passed away. The Health Ministry has reported that in the week leading up to January 10 (the most recent figures available), cases doubled and the virus spread to 14 provinces. Genomic analyses carried out by the Malbrn Institute confirmed 28 cases of the Subtype K, one of the variants currently being monitored because of its potential to cause serious illness. H3N2 is a kind of Type A influenza that can trigger a persistent cough, which can last for up to three weeks. Subclade K is a mutation of H3N2, which became predominant among influenza A viruses. It caused the flu season to start earlier than usual in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, and unusually severe flu in those countries. Flu is on the rise all over the Americas, and influenza A (H3N2) has been dominant in all regions except the Andes. Until the most recent weekly figures were released, Argentina had confirmed 11 cases in five provinces. However, the new survey added 13 additional infections and eight jurisdictions to the map of viral circulation, representing an increase of more than 100% in just one week. Between December 18, 2025 and January 16, 2026, scientists sequenced 50 samples of influenza A (H3N2). Of those, 28 were subclade K. Thirteen of those 28 patients required hospitalization an unusually high proportion for seasonal flu. Most were over the age of 60, and the second group was children under the age of 10. Argentinas latest epidemiological bulletin noted that only six people who had the new flu variant had been vaccinated against flu.