Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, whose birdwatching trip to South America is believed to have exposed him to hantavirus, has been identified as the “patient zero” of the deadly MV Hondius cruise outbreak.
Three people have died, including Leo Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam, and five more are suspected of having the virus.
The 70-year-old birdwatcher reportedly boarded the Dutch-operated MV Hondius after visiting Ushuaia, Argentina, with his wife Mirjam, 69. This was during a months-long birdwatching expedition across South America.
The Landfill
Authorities investigating the Hantavirus outbreak 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 particles of the Andes variant, which can spread from person to person.
Four days after visiting the landfill, Leo and Mirjam boarded the MV Hondius in Ushuaia alongside more than 100 other passengers, all scientists or birdwatchers.
Leo reportedly developed symptoms, including fever, diarrhea, 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 to 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.
The mortality rate is 1% to 50%, depending on the strain. Hantavirus can take 6 to 8 weeks to appear. That being said, we don’t know if they caught it on their trip or on board the ship.
Hantavirus “Patient Zero” has been identified as Leo Schilperoord, a 70-year-old Dutch ornithologist who visited a landfill in Argentina, containing rodents potentially carrying the Andes virus strain pic.twitter.com/6EHWy2RH5u
— Interesting AF (@interesting_aIl) May 9, 2026