New suspected hantavirus cases reported in Spain and remote Tristan da Cunha

Madrid said four passengers from a cruise that had docked in the Canary Islands were under observation as part of contact tracing, presenting with high fevers and renal symptoms. Tristan da Cunha authorities said laboratory results were pending for two local residents.

The World Health Organization has shipped an expanded set of diagnostic kits to Tristan da Cunha, an island of around 250 inhabitants. Officials are investigating whether the new cases involve the Andes strain identified in the cruise outbreak, which is thought to be capable of human-to-human transmission.

Public-health specialists say spread to remote geographies can be contained quickly with early confirmatory testing. Spain has tightened rodent-control protocols at hotels and airports as the tourist season opens.