Dutch ornithologist identified as patient zero in hantavirus cruise ship outbreak

A birdwatching expedition across South America ended in tragedy after Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam, were linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak tied to an Antarctic cruise voyage.

A Dutch ornithologist has been identified as the suspected “patient zero” in a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to an Antarctic cruise expedition, according to a report by the New York Post.

Leo Schilperoord, 70, and his wife Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, were reportedly on a months-long birdwatching trip across South America when they are believed to have contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus — a rare form capable of human-to-human transmission.

The couple, from the Dutch village of Haulerwijk, had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay during a five-month journey that began in November last year. In late March, they returned to Argentina and reportedly visited a landfill near Ushuaia that is frequented by birdwatchers searching for rare species, including Darwin’s caracara.

HEALTH OFFICIALS SUSPECT LANDFILL EXPOSURE

Authorities suspect the couple may have inhaled virus particles from rodent droppings at the landfill site, the report said. The area is believed to be inhabited by long-tailed pygmy rice rats, known carriers of the Andes hantavirus strain.

“It is common for birdwatchers to visit landfills because there are many birds there,” local guide and photographer Gastón Bretti told Ansa Latina, according to the report.

The landfill, described by locals as heavily overrun with waste, has reportedly become a well-known stop for wildlife enthusiasts despite concerns about sanitation and rodent activity.

CRUISE VOYAGE TURNS DEADLY

Just days after the landfill visit, the Schilperoords boarded the MV Hondius cruise ship from Ushuaia on April 1 along with more than 100 passengers, many of them scientists and birdwatchers.

Leo Schilperoord reportedly developed symptoms including fever, stomach pain, headache and diarrhoea during the voyage. He died aboard the ship on April 11.

Mirjam later disembarked during a scheduled stop at Saint Helena Island and travelled onward to Johannesburg in South Africa. However, she reportedly became too ill to continue her KLM flight to the Netherlands. According to the report, she collapsed at the airport and died the following day.

COUPLE KNOWN IN BIRDWATCHING COMMUNITY

The couple were well known in Dutch birdwatching circles and had co-authored research on pink-footed geese decades earlier. Obituaries published in a local village magazine described their shared passion for wildlife and travel. “Like birds in flight, we will miss you and the stories,” one tribute read.

The report added that at least seven American passengers from the cruise ship were also on Mirjam Schilperoord’s flight to Johannesburg before returning to the United States, including two residents from New Jersey.

Health authorities are continuing to monitor possible exposures linked to the outbreak.

- Ends