January 15, 2026 | 10:30 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin urged the public not to panic over the discovery of two cases of influenza A (H3N2) subclade K, also known as "super flu," in Bali. He stated that super flu is a common flu with a very low fatality rate.
"This flu routinely occurs because it has always been happening. But my friends can be more relaxed because the fatality rate is very low," said Budi when met at the Ministry of Health building in Jakarta on Thursday night, January 15, 2026.
The two cases of super flu found in Bali were actually exposed to the virus since October 2025. The two survivors, aged between 40 and 50, experienced fever and shortness of breath. The Bali Health Office surveillance team then sent respiratory fluid samples to the Ministry of Health laboratory.
However, the laboratory test results were only issued in mid-January 2026. The two survivors were treated in hospital for several days before finally being declared cured at the end of 2025.
According to Budi, super flu cases like those experienced by two residents in Bali are a recurring phenomenon every year. Especially when the immune system is weakened or extreme weather changes occur. "So it's normal, just like common flu, we should maintain our health so that our immune system can fight diseases," he said.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) conducted by the Ministry of Health on December 25, 2025, showed that the K subclade virus had been detected in Indonesia since August of the previous year. By the end of December, the Ministry of Health recorded 62 cases of super flu in Indonesia. The cases were spread across eight provinces, with the highest number in East Java, South Kalimantan, and West Java.
Chair of the Indonesian Pulmonologist Association's Honorary Council (PDPI), Tjandra Yoga Aditama urged the government to regularly report on the monitoring results of the spread of influenza. He stated that although it is claimed to have a low risk of death, some countries in the world are responding to this phenomenon seriously.
In China, for example, there is the Center of Disease Control (CDC), which reports the development of the influenza situation in the country daily. On January 14, 2026, Tjandra said the CDC reported a 27.4 percent positivity rate for the Influenza cluster in schools.
Health authorities in Taiwan also did the same. The head of the Epidemic Intelligence Center, a special body in Taiwan responsible for monitoring infectious diseases, reported that there were 91,842 flu patients from January 4 to 10. This figure increased by 9.6 percent from the previous week.
In Taiwan, Tjandra said there were 3 deaths due to influenza during the period of January 6-12. "It would be good if we in Indonesia also had weekly data communicated to the public, so that the public receives clear and accurate information," Tjandra stated in a written statement on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Read: Health Minister Explains Cause of 'Super Flu' Patient's Death in West Java
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