MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Health alerts issued in Chile and Bolivia following superflu detections

Health authorities in both countries insisted that current influenza vaccines remain the most effective defense against severe illness and death

Health authorities in Chile and Bolivia have activated emergency epidemiological protocols following the confirmed arrival of a new, highly transmissible variant of Influenza A (H3N2), known as the K subclade (also referred to as “supereflu”).

 The variant, which has been detected in over 34 countries, is characterized by its ability to partially evade antibodies from previous infections. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), it currently appears to have a lower lethality rate than earlier strains.

The Chilean Regional Ministerial Health Secretariat confirmed the first case of the K variant in Ñuble. The detection was validated by the Institute of Public Health (ISP) through continuous genomic monitoring. Regional Minister Gustavo Rojas Medina reported that the affected individual was currently in good health.

In this scenario, authorities have issued an urgent call for high-risk groups —including adults over 65, pregnant women, and healthcare workers— to complete their vaccination schedules.

While the variant had been spotted previously in the country, the Ñuble case marks the first time a specific region has been identified as an active site for the mutation.

In neighboring Bolivia, officials declared an Orange Alert in the department of Santa Cruz and activated emergency surveillance in Cochabamba following several H3N2 clusters linked to international travel.

A family outbreak involving five individuals who recently arrived from the United States was confirmed in Cochabamba. The primary patient, an elderly male, required hospitalization for severe respiratory distress.

Additionally, a patient who had recently arrived from Japan via Brazil has died from H3N2 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Authorities are currently investigating whether this death was caused specifically by the K variant.

Since Bolivia currently lacks the specialized laboratory infrastructure to isolate the K variant, samples from the deceased patient and other suspected cases have been sent abroad for testing.

Despite concerns regarding the variant's transmissibility, health ministers in both nations emphasized that current influenza vaccines remain the most effective defense against severe illness and death.