Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord has been identified as the suspected “patient zero” in a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the Antarctic cruise ship MV Hondius, according to multiple international media reports citing health investigators.
Schilperoord, 70, and his wife Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, were among those who died after falling ill during and after the expedition.
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The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak traces back to Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, and his wife, Mirjam.
— Jammles (@jammles9) May 9, 2026
On March 27, they went with other birdwatchers to a landfill outside Ushuaia to look for white throated caracaras, also called Darwin’s caracaras.
Birders go where… pic.twitter.com/mJ633eN8bj
Rare birds, rare virus, tragic ending
The couple had been traveling across South America on a months-long birdwatching tour before boarding the Dutch-operated vessel from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1.
Investigators believe they may have contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus during a visit to a landfill site near Ushuaia that is known to attract birdwatchers searching for rare species, including Darwin’s caracara.
Health officials suspect the couple inhaled virus particles from rodent droppings at the site. The area is reportedly inhabited by long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which are known carriers of the Andes hantavirus strain. The strain is considered rare because it can spread from person to person.
“It is common for birdwatchers to visit landfills because there are many birds there,” local guide and photographer Gastón Bretti told Ansa Latina.
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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.
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) May 10, 2026
He died on board the MV Hondius on April 11, 2026 — five days after… pic.twitter.com/ziTtS4U8ny
Symptoms surfaced mid-voyage
Schilperoord reportedly developed symptoms including fever, diarrhea, headache, and stomach pain during the voyage.
He died aboard the ship on April 11. His wife later disembarked at Saint Helena Island and traveled onward to Johannesburg, South Africa, before collapsing at the airport after being deemed too ill to continue her journey.
She died the following day.
The couple, from the Dutch village of Haulerwijk, was well known in birdwatching circles. They had spent years documenting rare bird species and had co-authored work in Dutch ornithological publications.
The hunt for answers is far from over
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reportedly linked at least three deaths to the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, while investigations into the source and transmission of the virus remain ongoing.
