Oregon doctor steps up during deadly cruise ship outbreak off African Coast
Harley Coldiron
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) What was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime birdwatching expedition in the Atlantic Ocean turned into an international medical emergency.
Now, a Bend doctor is at the center of it.
Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, a longtime Central Oregon oncologist who spent two decades treating cancer patients at the St. Charles Cancer Center, is currently aboard a quarantined cruise ship near the Canary Islands after a deadly hantavirus outbreak left three passengers dead and several others seriously ill.
As fear spread across the ship and its own physician became too sick to continue working, Kornfeld quietly stepped in.
From Passenger to Ship Doctor
The cruise began on April 1 as a birdwatching expedition sailing off the coast of Africa between Cape Verde and the Canary Islands.
At first, Kornfeld said, there was little indication that anything unusual was happening. “So this cruise started April 1st. And after about a week, one of the passengers got very sick,” Kornfeld said. “At the time, there was no sense that it was an infectious disease.”
But by late April, more passengers and crew members began falling ill.
One passenger was evacuated to Johannesburg and placed on a ventilator. The man later tested positive for hantavirus. Soon after, his wife also died in a hospital after leaving the ship.
Then the ship’s doctor became seriously ill. That’s when Kornfeld began helping. “It wasn’t like a, ‘Oh, I need to step in,’” he said. “I was there to offer assistance.”
But as conditions worsened, that assistance quickly turned into leadership.
“And then another patient got very ill, which I had to take care of,” Kornfeld said. “And she ultimately died.”
Working 18-Hour Days at Sea
Kornfeld said the reality of treating patients aboard a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean was far different than practicing medicine in a hospital.
“The boat really has a hospital, but it’s just for a couple of days,” he explained. As panic and uncertainty spread among passengers, Kornfeld found himself working nearly nonstop. “There was really a lot of work to do,” he said. “I was ultimately working 18 hours a day.”
Despite being semi-retired and spending much of his time traveling the world birdwatching, Kornfeld said instinct and experience took over.
“You kind of get into that doctor work mode,” he said. “You’re just trying to do the best you can in the circumstances with somewhat limited resources on a cruise.”
Part of his role became reassuring frightened passengers and crew members as the outbreak unfolded. “There was a lot of hand-holding regarding that,” he said.
Fear, Exhaustion, and an International Response
At one point, the situation became so serious that multiple international agencies became involved, including the World Health Organization.
Kornfeld described the response as massive and coordinated. “It’s become an incredible international effort,” he said.
According to Kornfeld, two World Health Organization epidemiologists and two Dutch infectious disease specialists are now aboard the ship helping investigate the outbreak and care for passengers.
Medical evacuation flights were eventually arranged for the sickest patients. “With a lot of outside help, amazing international response from the World Health Organization, the health authority, the company that owns the cruise boat and many other agencies,” Kornfeld said, “they got the two guys off the boat.”
Now, passengers remain in a lockdown situation aboard the vessel as officials work to determine what caused the outbreak and what happens next.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a rare but dangerous illness carried mostly by rodents, especially deer mice in the western United States. It was first identified in the 1950s during an outbreak in Korea, and in humans, it usually starts when someone breathes in dust contaminated with infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. That can happen in places like cabins, sheds, or barns that haven’t been cleaned or ventilated in a while. It’s important to note the virus doesn’t typically spread from person to person here in the U.S.
What makes hantavirus especially concerning is how quickly it can turn serious. Early symptoms often feel like the flu—fever, fatigue, and body aches—but within days it can escalate into severe breathing problems as the lungs fill with fluid. There’s no specific cure or vaccine, and once it progresses, patients often need intensive hospital care. Even though cases are rare, the fatality rate is high, around 30 to 40 percent, which is why health officials stress avoiding contact with rodent waste and taking precautions when cleaning enclosed spaces.
Rep. Janelle Bynum Demands Faster Federal Response
As the outbreak unfolded, Oregon Congresswoman Janelle Bynum sharply criticized the federal government’s response, saying the Americans aboard the quarantined ship had been left without enough guidance or support.
“The Americans on board deserve action,” wrote Bynum. “Four days is more than enough time for the federal government to establish a coordinated response, communicate clearly with those affected, and ensure that U.S. citizens are not left stranded in a deadly outbreak overseas. The seventeen Americans on board, including my constituent, are being abandoned by their government. They have no guidance and no support to ensure their safe return home.”
Kornfeld, however, largely stayed out of the political debate. “The situation on the boat is very good. The boat captain, staff, crew, and passengers have really come together and are working together.”
He added that he had been in contact with the U.S. State Department and believed a repatriation plan would come together soon. “I’m assuming the CDC will get involved,” Kornfeld said. “And I assume in a couple of days there’ll be a plan.”
‘I Felt Vulnerable’
While caring for sick passengers, Kornfeld also had to think about his own safety. “From the first day that I started pitching in, I was wearing gloves and a mask,” he said.
As it became clearer the illness was hantavirus, he increased precautions. “I was able to find some better protective gear. I showered a lot. I washed my clothes a lot,” Kornfeld said.
Still, the risk never fully disappeared. “So I felt vulnerable,” he said. “But I didn’t feel super vulnerable.”
A Bend Doctor Focused on Helping Others
Kornfeld spent years caring for cancer patients in Bend before scaling back his medical work in recent years to travel and pursue birdwatching around the world.
He said he never expected one of those trips would place him in the middle of an international health crisis.
But once he became involved, walking away was never really an option. “Once you’re involved in it, you really can’t just tell everybody, ‘I’m done,’ and go hide in your room,” he said. “I felt obligated at that point.”
Even now, with the immediate crisis appearing to stabilize, Kornfeld remains aboard helping passengers while larger medical teams take over the outbreak response.
And despite everything that has happened, he still finds moments to remember why he boarded the ship in the first place. “There’s a lot of bird watchers on the boat,” he said. “We’re scattered around that. And we’re looking for seabirds. That’s why I’m on the boat.”
For now, Kornfeld says he’s eager to get back home to Bend and see his wife again. But until then, he says his attention stays right where it’s always been — on the people he’s caring for.
This is a developing story. Stay with the digital platforms of KTVZ News for urgent updates.
