Health authorities confirmed the first case of H3N2 flu in Latin America, a fact that marks the arrival of this variant to the region and reinforces the attention of health organizations regarding their recent behavior.
Popularly known as the “super flu”, This strain had been reported until now in Europe, North America and some countries in Asiaso its detection in Latin American territory expands the circulation map of the virus.
After confirmation of the contagion, health systems They activated monitoring measures and strengthened epidemiological surveillancein order to monitor possible new cases and evaluate their impact in the region.
The contagion spreads
The arrival of the virus in the region was confirmed after the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases reported this Friday, December 12, the first case of influenza H3N2 subclade K in Mexico.
In this regard, the Ministry of Health of that country explained that The patient was treated on an outpatient basis.received antiviral medications and is now recovered.
This confirmation came a few hours after the authorities indicated that no cases of this variant had been identifiedreflecting the changing dynamics of epidemiological monitoring.
Despite the detection of the case, health authorities clarified that the clinical management of this variant is similar to that of seasonal influenza and that, for now, no extraordinary measures have been issued.
Furthermore, the Secretariat reiterated that the main prevention measure continues to be vaccination. For this reason, they called on citizens to go to health points and apply the available vaccines against influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcus.
“These vaccines are effective in reducing risks, prevent complications and hospitalizations and protect health. Especially for girls and boys, older adults, pregnant women, health people and people with comorbidities”you can read in the statement.
Frequent symptoms of H3N2
According to international scientific reviews, H3N2 symptoms usually appear suddenly. Among the most common are:
- High fever accompanied by chills
- Sore throat
- runny nose
- Muscle pain and headaches
- intense fatigue
- Persistent dry cough
In more complex cases, the virus can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress or other complicationsespecially in people with previous health conditions. For this reason, experts recommend consulting a doctor if symptoms persist or your health condition worsens.
