JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia confirmed the detection of dozens of cases of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K in the country.
However, the government ensures that the spread of the virus is still within the limits that can be controlled and does not cause a higher level of severity than other types of influenza that have been circulating.
Health authorities confirmed that by the end of December 2025, there was no indication of a spike in severe cases or an increase in the risk of serious complications due to subclade K. National monitoring shows a relatively stable situation.
The Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, dr. Prima Yosephine revealed that the trend of increasing influenza A(H3) globally began to be seen in the United States since the 40th week of 2025, coinciding with the start of winter.
Meanwhile, subclade K was first recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August 2025 and has now been recorded as spreading to more than 80 countries in the world.
"Based on the WHO assessment and available epidemiological data, influenza A(H3N2) subclade K does not show an increase in severity. The symptoms that appear are generally similar to seasonal flu, such as fever, cough, runny nose, headache, and sore throat," said dr. Prima, quoted from the official statement of the Ministry of Health on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
In the Asian region, the presence of subclade K has been reported in a number of countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand since mid-2025. Although the influenza A(H3) virus is the most commonly found variant, the number of cases in these countries actually shows a downward trend in the last two months.
Similar conditions also occur in Indonesia. National surveillance data notes that influenza A(H3) is still the most dominant variant, but the overall number of cases has decreased.
The whole genome sequencing (WGS) examination completed on December 25, 2025 confirmed that the K subclade had been detected since August 2025 through the ILI-SARI sentinel surveillance system in various health service facilities.
"Until the end of December 2025, there were 62 cases of influenza A (H3N2) subclade K spread across eight provinces, with the highest number in East Java, South Kalimantan, and West Java. The majority of cases occur in women and children," he explained.
Overall, of the 843 influenza specimens that were positive, 348 samples have been further analyzed using the WGS method. The results showed that all the identified variants were known variants and are currently circulating globally in WHO monitoring.
The Ministry of Health emphasized its commitment to continue to improve disease surveillance, strengthen the reporting system, and maintain national readiness in the face of the dynamics of influenza development.
As a protection effort, the public is urged to consistently implement clean and healthy living behaviors, maintain physical condition to remain in good condition, and consider annual influenza vaccination.
This step is highly recommended for high-risk groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with comorbidities. The influenza vaccine is still effective in reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
In addition, the public is advised to limit activities outside the home when experiencing flu symptoms, wear masks, apply cough and sneeze etiquette, and immediately seek medical help if complaints worsen or do not show improvement after more than three days.
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