Dutch ornithologist identified as 'patient zero' in hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

Leo Schilperoord, a 70-year-old Dutch ornithologist, has been identified as the suspected ‘patient zero’ who brought the hantavirus infection on board the cruise ship Hondius. This was reported by The New York Post, citing an investigation by Argentine health authorities.

Schilperoord and his wife, Miriam, had been traveling through South America for five months, visiting Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. In late March, the couple participated in a bird-watching expedition near Ushuaia—the southernmost city in the world.

Argentine authorities are investigating the possibility that the couple contracted the virus at a landfill near Ushuaia, a site known among ornithologists for the rare bird species that gather there. According to experts, the infection was likely transmitted through the inhalation of fecal particles from long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which carry the ‘Andes’ strain of the hantavirus. This is the only strain with proven human-to-human transmission.

On April 1, Leo and Miriam Schilperoord boarded the vessel Hondius in Ushuaia along with 112 other passengers, most of whom were scientists and ornithologists. Five days later, the man developed symptoms, including high fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. He died on board on April 11.

His wife left the ship on April 24 during a stop at Saint Helena, accompanied by his body. However, during the journey back to the Netherlands, her condition deteriorated sharply. Miriam Schilperoord was removed from a KLM flight in Johannesburg after the crew determined she was unfit to fly. She died one day later.

Meanwhile, the evacuation of passengers from the ship continues. Following medical examinations, they are being transported by aircraft to their respective countries, where they are placed under observation and quarantine.

According to the World Health Organization, one of the five French passengers exhibited symptoms during a flight to France. Later, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced that the patient’s PCR test was positive and she has been admitted to a specialized infectious disease hospital.

The U.S. Department of Health also confirmed that one of the evacuated American passengers has mild symptoms, while another returned a weak positive PCR result for the ‘Andes’ strain.

According to Spanish Health Minister Mónica García, 34 people remain on board the ship, primarily crew members, who will return the vessel to the Netherlands.

Maria Van Kerkhove, Director of the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at the WHO, stated that all passengers are considered high-risk contacts, but the risk of a wider epidemic currently remains low.