Overview
- The fatality involved a 74-year-old man with chronic conditions who contracted the virus in Spain and was hospitalized in Mendoza since mid-December.
- National genomic surveillance reported 50 H3N2 genomes between December 18 and January 16, with 28 identified as subclade K across 14 provinces as detections doubled week over week.
- Of the 28 subclade K cases, 13 required hospitalization and vaccination among detected cases was low at about 21%, with most severe risk in adults over 60 and children under 10.
- Several detections lacked recent travel history, prompting provinces to reinforce targeted swabbing, ventilation and hygiene guidance, masking when symptomatic, and isolation until 24 hours fever-free.
- Authorities expect updated influenza vaccines to arrive between February and March 2026, as the OPS reports a hemagglutinin mutation in subclade K that raises transmissibility by roughly 56%.