Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord is suspected of being “patient zero” in a deadly hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius. The outbreak has claimed the lives of at least three people, including Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The 70-year-old birder reportedly boarded the Dutch-operated MV Hondius during a months-long South American birding expedition in Ushuaia, Argentina, with his wife Mirjam, 69.
Investigators now believe the couple contracted the Andes virus near a rat-infested landfill before boarding the ship.
Read more: Where do hantaviruses originate? Many unanswered questions about the epidemic
5 things you need to know about Leo Schilperoord
1. Leo Schilperoord was a famous ornithologist. Hilperod is a lifelong ornithologist and bird enthusiast from the Netherlands who has been documenting rare birds for years, the New York Post reported.
2. Leo Schilperoord and his wife used to travel in search of birds. He and his wife were reportedly on a five-month birding trip in South America before boarding the cruise ship.
They travel the world on adventures, such as an “unforgettable” 12-day private birding and wildlife tour in Sri Lanka in 2013, in which the couple relished seeing the rare Serendibu Scops Owl.
3. The two co-authored a magazine. In 1984, Schilperoord and his wife co-authored a study on the pink-footed goose in the Dutch ornithological magazine Het Vogeljaar.
Read more: Norovirus vs. Hantavirus explained: Key differences to know
4. Authorities believe he contracted the virus in an Argentinian landfill. Authorities investigating hantavirus and its patients on the MV Hondius suspect the couple became infected on March 27 while visiting a landfill near Ushuaia on the Patagonian island of Tierra del Fuego. The site is reportedly popular with birdwatchers and can see the rare white-throated caracara, also known as the Darwin caracara.
Health officials believe the area may have been contaminated by feces or urine from long-tailed pygmy rats, known carriers of the Andean strain of hantavirus. The Dutch couple allegedly inhaled particles of the Andean variant, which can be transmitted from person to person.
5. Symptoms developed a few days after boarding the MV Hondius. Four days after visiting the landfill, Leo and Mirjam boarded the MV Hondius in Ushuaia, along with more than 100 scientists or bird watchers.
Leo reportedly developed symptoms on April 6, including fever, diarrhea, headache and stomach pain. He died on board the ship on April 11.
On April 24, at a scheduled stop on the Atlantic island of St. Helena, Mirjam disembarked from the ship with Leo’s remains. She flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then boarded a KLM flight to the Netherlands. But she never got home.
When staff determined she was too sick to travel, she was removed. She died the next day after collapsing at the airport.
