Argentine authorities have confirmed the country’s first death associated with a new variant of flu, the influenza A (H3N2). Genomic analyses carried out by the Malbrán Institute confirmed 28 cases of the Subtype K, one of the variants currently being monitored because of its potential to cause serious illness. It caused the flu season to start earlier than usual in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, and unusually severe flu in those countries. Until the most recent weekly figures were released, Argentina had confirmed 11 cases in five provinces. Argentina’s latest epidemiological bulletin noted that only six people who had the new flu variant had been vaccinated against flu.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald January 21, 2026 22:49 UTC