Patient Zero Identified: How Ornithologist Leo Schilperoord Brought Hantavirus Onboard!

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:01]Thanks Aditya for joining me. Now, a rare and unsettling health situation has unfolded on a cruise ship traveling across the South Atlantic, pulling multiple countries into a coordinated alert. What began, viewers, as a few cases of fever and respiratory illness among passengers has now escalated into confirmed hantavirus infections, suspected cases, and several deaths. The vessel carrying fewer than 150 people reportedly moved through remote regions, including Antarctica and isolated Atlantic islands, before concerns were formally raised.

[00:00:42]As investigations continue, health authorities across several nations are now tracking exposure routes, passenger movements, and possible points of infection.

[00:00:53]But, who was the patient zero? Let me tell you that.

[00:00:58]Now, viewers, patient zero is who we're talking about.

[00:01:02]He was a 70 He's a 72-year-old Dutch uh ornithologist, Leo Schilperoord.

[00:01:10]He contracted the Andes hantavirus at Ushuaia landfall.

[00:01:17]Boarded the MV Hondius cruise ship on the 1st of April.

[00:01:24]He fell ill with fever, headaches, and diarrhea soon after.

[00:01:30]He died on the 11th of April, and his wife also succumbed to the virus.

[00:01:37]Very unfortunate indeed, and this is very, very quick, viewers, as we're seeing, which means that the disease is extremely deadly.

[00:01:46]And who, viewers, thought that this could spread through rodents. I do have uh joining me Dr. Ishwar Gilada.

[00:01:55]Dr. Gilada, you and I had a conversation on NewsX yesterday as well and we were discussing how there is we were discussing details of this disease.

[00:02:06]But now that you're here today and for the benefits of benefit of our viewers that have just joined us, Dr. Gilada, would you explain how this disease is contracted, this virus is contracted, and how deadly it is?

[00:02:20]See, basically this disease hantavirus or infection it remains in rodents, particularly which are in the forest.

[00:02:27]And from there it can come to domestic rodents, but it is mainly from among rodents. From there it can come to human being and all other varieties of hantavirus except Andes. They give only infection from the rodents to human being. But human being to human being infection is unheard of in all other varieties of the hanta.

[00:02:48]However, Andes is a meticulous virus which can give infection from human to human. And that's what has happened to this fellow Leo, who is a called kind of patient zero in this hanta outbreak. And he had infected his wife.

[00:03:03]And there are so many other infections on the ship. Out of which a total three died, eight are already confirmed, some are suspected, and all others will be deborded and then will be tested and found out how many are infected. So basically Andes has two what do you call specific specialties. Number one, human to human infection. Number two, it causes a syndrome which is called HPS or hanta pneumonia syndrome. Wherein few days time the person after fever and initial symptoms can get pneumonia. Requires ICU care, requires a ventilator, and person can die. And the death rate from this kind of pneumonia or this hantavirus infection through Andes is almost 40%.

[00:03:49]So 40% death rate being a very high death rate, with all other parameters, we are all scared.

[00:03:57]All right, Dr. Guleria. Thank you so much for joining me on News X and getting us all of that information. That of course should be really beneficial to our viewers because this is of course quite deadly.

[00:04:08]And now with that viewers, I'm slipping into a short commercial break. We'll be back on the other side with a lot more.

[00:04:12]Stay with us.