British Tourist Quarantined in Italy After Being on Same Flight as Woman Who Died from Hantavirus A British man in his 60s was detained in Milan, Italy, and placed in quarantine after being identified as having traveled on the same flight as Mirjam Schilperoord, a Dutch woman who died from hantavirus. The 69-year-old woman, who was married to Leo Schilperoord, 70, contracted the virus during a visit to a landfill site in Ushuaia, Argentina, before boarding the MV Hondius cruise ship. Authorities in Italy apprehended the British tourist and his companion, who was not on the flight, at a bar and transported them to Sacco Hospital for a 42-day isolation period. Both individuals tested negative for the disease but were required to remain in quarantine until June 6. The Dutch couple, residents of Haulerwijk, a small village in the Netherlands, had embarked on a five-month trip across South America before their exposure to the hantavirus. On March 27, they visited a landfill site four miles outside Ushuaia, where Argentinian officials believe they contracted the Andes strain of the virus through contact with infected rodents. Four days later, on April 1, they boarded the MV Hondius, which carried 112 passengers, and set sail from Ush. By April 6, Leo Schilperoord began experiencing symptoms including fever, headache, stomach pain, and diarrhea. He succumbed to the virus five days later while aboard the ship, with his body remaining on board until April 24 when the vessel docked in St Helena. The outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius has prompted an international emergency response from global health authorities. To date, 11 cruise passengers have been infected, with three fatalities reported.#mv_hondius #ushuaia #british_tourist #mirjam_schilperoord #leo_schilperoord
