Who Is Leo Schilperoord, the Dutch “Patient Zero” of the Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak on a Cruise Ship?
The outbreak has killed three passengers, including a Dutch ornithologist identified as patient zero, and three British citizens have confirmed cases, WHO said.
- The World Health Organisation confirmed on Saturday that the number of hantavirus cases linked to the Hondius outbreak has risen to six.
- Ornithologist Leo Schilperoord and Mirjam Schilperoord contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus from rodents at a landfill near Ushuaia on March 27, according to Argentinian authorities.
- Leo became the first passenger to die from the virus on the Hondius, while Mirjam passed away in South Africa on April 26 after being refused permission to fly.
- Beyond the couple, a German passenger has also lost their life to the virus, and three British citizens now have confirmed cases linked to the Hondius.
- The landfill site near Ushuaia, dubbed "the end of the world" by locals, attracts tourists seeking rare Patagonian birds including the White-bellied Seedsnipe.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Hantavirus Aboard the MV Hondius: A Cruise Outbreak Spreads Across Continents – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
On March 20, 2026, 70-year-old Leo and 69-year-old Mirjam Schilperoord from Haulerwijk, Netherlands, boarded the MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina, for a 46-day cruise from Antarctica to the west coast of Africa. The purpose-built cruise ship, the first Lloyds of London-registered Polar Class 6 cruise ship in the world, carried a complement of 88 passengers and 59 crew. After various excursions to Antarctic destinations, the ship returned to Ushu…
Hantavirus "Patient Zero" Identified as Ornithologist Who Visited Rat-Infested Landfill Before Outbreak
“Patient zero” in the deadly cruise ship hantavirus outbreak has just been identified. Up until now, we knew that the first people to die from the rare virus on the fated MV Hondius ship were an elderly Dutch couple. But, we didn’t know their names. Now, Dutch media outlets have confirmed that 70-year-old Leo Schilperoord and his wife, 69-year-old Mirjam, were the first to be infected and pass away. Here’s a photo of Leo: Patient zero in the de…
A few hours after the arrival of the MV Hondius cruiser to the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, the identity of the first passenger who died on board an outbreak of hantavirus was known, considered the “zero patient” of the disease for which two other people died and almost a dozen were infected. This is Leo Schilperord, a 70-year-old Dutch ornithologist and biologist who died on 11 April, 10 days after the ship set sail from the port of Ushuaia…
The incubation period raises new questions in the case of the fatal hantavirus outbreak on the "Hondius": According to Argentine authorities, the Dutch couple can hardly have infected themselves in Tierra del Fuego. Now researchers are looking for clues under rodents.
Three people have died in an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship. The infection is believed to have started with 70-year-old Leo Schilperoord. His passion for bird watching likely led to his death.
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