Mexican authorities announced this Tuesday a reinforcement of preventive measures against Ebola with sanitary filters in airports and special protocols for the World Cup, although they ruled out cases in the country and assured that the risk of spread is "very low."

“(In) Mexico no cases have been recorded and (to say) that the risk of spread up to this moment is low globally, very low for our country,” said Health Secretary David Kershenobich during the presidential press conference.

The statements come as international health authorities maintain surveillance over the Ebola outbreak detected in regions of eastern and central Africa, particularly in areas of Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to the official, Mexico closely follows the evolution of the epidemiological situation, which is why the country will maintain permanent surveillance through the General Directorate of Epidemiology and the Ministry of Health.

"Mexico will maintain epidemiological surveillance through the General Directorate of Epidemiology and the Ministry of Health, although the outbreak seems to be contained in a part of that region, it is very important to be aware of its evolution," he said.

As part of the preventive measures, the authorities recommended postponing trips from countries with active transmission of the virus, until the emergency is over.

“Mexico recommends that people who have stayed or transited in the last 21 days in the Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, reschedule their trip for a later date,” he said.

Likewise, it carried out additional controls at international air terminals.

“At international airports we are going to have sanitary filters, we have preventive measures and we are also going to carry out a documentary review and the itinerary that the passengers may have had,” he explained.

Kershenobich stressed that the Ebola virus is not spread through the respiratory route, like the coronavirus, and called not to raise alarm.

The official also linked the health protocols to the context of the organization of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Mexico will organize with the United States and Canada.

"Mexico, as the host country of the 2026 World Cup, is committed to providing the safest environment possible. We are carrying out all the necessary isolation measures for any eventuality that may occur," he said.

In that sense, he explained that there are regional coordination mechanisms.

“We are implementing epidemiological surveillance protocols in coordination with the United States and Canada in the context fundamentally of the World Cup,” he said.

Kershenobich insisted that there is currently no health emergency in Mexico, although the authorities remain prepared. EFE