Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord has emerged as the suspected “patient zero” in the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. The outbreak has already claimed at least three lives according to the World Health Organization (WHO), including that of Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord.
The 70-year-old birdwatcher reportedly boarded the Dutch-operated MV Hondius after visiting Ushuaia, Argentina, with his wife Mirjam, 69, during a months-long birdwatching expedition across South America.
Investigators now believe the couple contracted the Andes virus near a landfill area known for rat infestations before boarding the vessel.
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5 things to know about Leo Schilperoord
1. Leo Schilperoord was a well-known ornithologist. According to the New York Post, Schilperoord was a lifelong ornithologist and bird enthusiast from the Netherlands who spent years documenting rare bird species.
2. Leo Schilperoord and his wife used to travel in search of bird species. He and his wife were reportedly on a five-month birdwatching journey through South America before boarding the cruise ship.
They traveled the world on adventures, such as an “unforgettable” private 12-day birdwatching and wildlife tour in Sri Lanka in 2013, where the couple gushed about seeing a rare Serendib Scops Owl.
3. The duo co-authored a magazine. In 1984, Schilperoord and his wife co-authored a study on pink-footed geese in the Dutch ornithological magazine Het Vogeljaar.
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4. Authorities believe he contracted the virus at an Argentine landfill. Authorities who are investigating the Hantavirus and its patients on the MV Hondius suspect the couple was infected while visiting a landfill near Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, on March 27. The site is reportedly popular among birdwatchers to spot the rare white-throated caracara, also known as Darwin’s caracara.
Health officials believe the area may have been contaminated with feces or urine from long-tailed pygmy rice rats, known carriers of the Andes hantavirus strain. The Dutch couple allegedly inhaled these particles of the Andes variant capable of spreading from human to human.
5. Symptoms began days after boarding the MV Hondius. Four days after visiting the landfill, Leo and Mirjam boarded the MV Hondius in Ushuaia alongside more than 100 passengers who were also scientists or birdwatchers.
Leo reportedly developed symptoms, including fever, diarrhoea, headache, and stomach pain, by April 6. He died aboard the ship on April 11.
On April 24, at a scheduled stop on the Atlantic island of Santa Helena, Mirjam, along with Leo’s body, exited from the ship. She took a plane to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then boarded a KLM flight that was headed for the Netherlands. But she never reached home.
She was removed by the crew when they determined she was too ill to travel. The following day, she passed away after collapsing at the airport.
