Chile, Paraguay urge flu shots as respiratory viruses surge

In Chile’s Maule region, the regional health minister Orlando Cáceres said the area is facing a "high circulation of respiratory viruses" and urged the public to get the free influenza vaccine. The campaign has reached 79 % of its target, with 537,978 of 680,878 people immunised, and officials stress vaccination for seniors, pregnant women, children and other high‑risk groups.

Paraguayan health authorities reported a sharp increase in respiratory‑virus cases, with more than 1,500 hospital admissions in the past four weeks and 25 deaths linked to rhinovirus, influenza A H3N2, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza. Most of the deceased had not been vaccinated. The ministry again called for vaccination and basic preventive measures such as mask‑wearing, hand‑washing and covering coughs.