New Suspected Hantavirus Cases Surface in Spain and Tristan da Cunha

Spain's Health Ministry said it was investigating two suspected cases in the provinces of Cadiz and Huelva. One patient had recently travelled to Patagonia; the route of exposure for the other is still unclear.

On the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, three crew members of a fishing vessel reported hantavirus-like symptoms. The British-administered island, served by just six supply ships a year, sent samples to Cape Town for analysis.

Some experts say shifts in global rodent populations and movement of vector species along ocean currents could explain a jump to such a remote location. No deaths have been confirmed in either area so far.