A 70-year-old Dutch birdwatcher was identified as the first known case of the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, MV Hondius, according to reports by the New York Post.
Leo Schilperoord, an ornithologist from the Netherlands, is believed to have contracted the virus during a birdwatching trip to a landfill site near Ushuaia ahead of boarding the vessel.
‘Patient zero’ identified
Schilperoord and his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, had been travelling across South America for several months before joining the cruise ship in April this year.
He developed symptoms including fever, headache and stomach pain days after boarding and later died on the ship.
According to investigators, the couple may have been exposed to the virus on March 27 during a visit to a landfill site outside Ushuaia.
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The area is known to attract birdwatchers because of rare species, but authorities say it is also home to rodents that might carry the hantavirus.
“It is common for birdwatchers to visit landfills because there are many birds there,” a local guide was quoted as saying.
Health officials suspect the infection may have occurred through inhalation of particles from rodent droppings.
Wife dies after evacuation
Mirjam Schilperoord later disembarked the ship with her husband’s body at a stop and travelled to South Africa.
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She fell ill while attempting to return to the Netherlands and died shortly afterwards.
The MV Hondius had more than 100 passengers on board, many of them scientists or birdwatchers.
Authorities are continuing to trace contacts and investigate the spread of the virus, including concerns over the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can transmit between humans.
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus is a disease mainly spread by rodents. People can get the infection by breathing in particles from rodent urine or droppings.
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Some strains can cause severe illness and, in rare cases, spread from human to human.
(With inputs from agencies)
