With tight business restrictions still in place, companies may find it challenging to even assess what opportunities exist for them in the South American nation.

Nearly 15,000 health care workers in New York have been off the job since last week in a labor action affecting some of the city’s major hospitals.

Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who leads the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said a person’s right to refuse a vaccine outweighed concerns about illness or death from infectious diseases.