How a Dutch man’s birdwatching trip spurred a cruise ship outbreak and fears of another pandemic

Authorities have publicly identified the man who tragically contracted hantavirus just days before boarding a cruise ship, causing an outbreak and worldwide fears of a second pandemic.

Four Aussies were among 147 people on board the MV Hondius when an outbreak of the rat virus occurred, killing three people and infecting eight others.

As hundreds of travellers begin their journeys home, authorities have finally revealed how the deadly disease made it onto the cruise ship.

Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord has been publicly identified as patient zero in the outbreak.

The 70-year-old, who was touring South America with his 69-year-old wife Mirjam, was an avid bird watcher who had been travelling the continent prior to the cruise.

Just days before boarding the fateful cruise, the couple visited a landfill situated near the Argentinian city of Ushuaia.

While most residents avoid the tip, nicknamed “the End of the World” due to the copious amounts of rubbish throughout, the landfill is a hot spot for birdwatchers hoping to catch a peak at the elusive white-throated caracara.

Argentinian authorities suspect this landfill was where the pair inhaled particles of rat faeces, which infected the duo with the Andes strain of the virus.

In most cases, a human gets infected with hantavirus after contact with animal droppings but doesn’t pass it on to anyone else.

However, the Andes virus is an exception as it is capable of spreading between people, giving it the potential to spark outbreaks.

Hantavirus symptoms do not typically appear in humans until one to eight weeks after exposure — meaning the couple had no idea they were infected when they embarked on the MV Hondius cruise.

Mr Schilperoord first reported symptoms consistent with hantavirus on April 6 — nine days after his trip to the landfill — and he passed away from the virus five days later.

Authorities did not initially attribute Mr Schilperoord’s death to hantavirus due to its rarity in humans.

Mirjam Schilperoord disembarked the ship with her husband’s body in South Africa, where she attempted to board a flight back to the Netherlands — however, the 69-year-old fell seriously ill and also died from the virus.

Mrs Schilperoord’s body was tested and found positive for hantavirus, leading to contact tracing and the lockdown of the cruise ship.

A German traveller aboard the ship also died from the virus.

The ship finally docked in Tenerife over the weekend, with nations beginning to remove travellers under tightly controlled repatriation efforts.

The four Aussies aboard the cruise ship, understood to be from NSW and Queensland, are set to fly into Perth on Tuesday.

The travellers will then be transported to Sydney, where NSW authorities says they will immediately be taken to the biocontainment centre at Westmead Hospital for clinical assessment.

“These passengers will be closely monitored and, should any develop symptoms, they will be assessed by an infectious diseases physician and be provided appropriate care,” a NSW health spokesperson said.

It is not yet known how long passengers will be at the biocontainment centre.

Despite several cases of the contagious virus, the World Health Organisation has stressed to the public that “this is not another COVID”.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus told media.

“The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.”