“We are monitoring the international situation closely, especially after what happened in 2022, when we faced an outbreak of a similar strain,” the head of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, Cristian Garcia said.

According to the official, Chile has a robust surveillance mechanism and protocols that were activated immediately after the WHO warning.

Garcia added that Chile maintains the capacities installed two years ago, including the availability of vaccines for all people at risk, as well as a fast and accurate diagnostic system.

Regarding an eventual entry of the virus, she mentioned to public television that the country has daily air connections with Europe, which increases the risks, but everything is prepared for an effective response.

Last week, the first case outside Africa was detected in Sweden and, according to WHO, new contagions could appear in Europe in the next days or weeks.

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