A lifelong passion for rare birds has ended in a global health emergency after Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord was identified as 'patient zero' in a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with various reports stating that this passion may have cost him his life after a landfill trip.
The 70-year-old researcher, who spent decades documenting avian species across the globe, is believed to have contracted the rare Andes strain of the virus while pursuing a rare bird at a rubbish dump in southern Argentina with his 69-year-old wife, Mirjam. The ensuing outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has now claimed three lives and left international health authorities racing to contain the spread.
