Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, aged 70 from the village of Haulerwijk in the Netherlands, has been identified as patient zero in the deadly hantavirus outbreak associated with the MV Hondius expedition cruise ship.
Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, were experienced birdwatchers who had been traveling in South America for several months at the time of contact. On March 27, the couple visited a landfill site approximately four miles outside Ushuaia, Argentina. The location, popular among birdwatchers seeking species such as the white-throated caracara (Darwin’s caracara), contained accumulated waste that attracted rodents, according to a report from the New York Post.
Health authorities determined that Schilperoord contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus through inhalation of aerosolized particles from the droppings of long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which carry this variant.
The couple then boarded the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius on April 1, with around 112 other passengers and crew, many of whom shared interests in birdwatching and science. Schilperoord developed initial symptoms, including fever, headache, and gastrointestinal issues, on April 6 and died aboard the ship on April 11.
His wife later died in Johannesburg, South Africa after collapsing at an airport during their return journey.
“Patient Zero” in the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak has been identified as ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, whose passion for birds led him to a landfill in Argentina to observe birds that may have cost him his life. pic.twitter.com/voYfg4HTvG
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) May 9, 2026
Investigators believe the outbreak began with rodent-to-human transmission at the Ushuaia landfill and spread among close contacts on the ship due to the unique properties of the Andes strain, which is the only hantavirus variant known to transmit from person to person. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, respiratory distress, and in severe cases, progression to pneumonia or shock.
As of this report, authorities have reported six confirmed cases and additional suspected or probable cases linked to the vessel, with a total of three deaths. The World Health Organization was notified on May 2, and international coordination has involved the WHO, ECDC, CDC, and a number of additional health agencies.
Contact tracing currently covers passengers who disembarked earlier and returned to countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and others.
Public health officials assess the risk to the general population as low. Most hantavirus strains spread only through rodent contact, but the ship’s confined environment facilitated limited secondary transmission, according to investigators.
The MV Hondius and its remaining is scheduled to reach waters off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10 for a controlled disembarkation. Passengers will undergo screening, disembark in phases, and return home via arranged flights under strict protocols, with limited personal items permitted.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to participate in oversight alongside Spanish authorities.
