Alaska Reports First Fatality From Rare Virus Known as Alaskapox
The virus was first discovered in 2015.
Health officials in Alaska reported the first known fatal case of Alaskapox, a virus that was first identified in 2015, identifying the victim as an elderly man.
The man lived in Kenai Peninsula, a large peninsula that juts from the coast of southern Alaska and also is located south of Anchorage. He died in January from the virus, officials said.
They noted that the elderly man had a weakened immune system due to cancer treatment, adding that it likely contributed to the severity of the disease. He died in January after first showing symptoms of the virus in September, the state health department said.
In the bulletin, officials reported that the Alaskapox infection may have been transmitted by a stray cat who scratched him.
“The patient resided alone in a forested area and reported no recent travel and no close contacts with recent travel, illness, or similar lesions. He reported caring for a stray cat at his residence that regularly hunted small mammals and frequently scratched the patient, including one notable scratch near his right axilla in the month prior to rash onset,” the notice said.
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After going to the local emergency department several times last year, the man was given antibiotics and evaluated for lesions on his body.
“A punch biopsy revealed no evidence of malignancy or bacterial infection. Despite antibiotic therapy, the patient experienced fatigue and increasing induration and pain in the right axilla and shoulder,” it said. “On November 17, he was hospitalized due to extensive progression of presumed infectious cellulitis that impacted the range of motion of his right arm. The patient was subsequently transferred to a hospital in Anchorage.”
About the Virus
Alaskapox, sometimes called AKPV, is an orthopoxvirus, which also includes smallpox, cowpox, and monkeypox, or mpox, according to state health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Alaskapox is thought to have first transmitted to a human in 2015 in the Fairbanks, Alaska, area. Symptoms can include a rash, swollen lymph nodes, and joint or muscle pain.
So far, seven recorded instances of the virus have been reported in people, authorities said. All involved people were living in the Fairbanks area, more than 300 miles from the Kenai Peninsula.
All had mild cases and recovered without being hospitalized.
It’s unclear how the virus is transmitted but researchers say it may be zoonotic, meaning it can jump from animals to humans. The bulletin said that tests found evidence of current or previous infection in several species of small mammals in the Fairbanks area, including red-backed voles and at least one domestic pet.
“Evidence suggestive of prior AKPV infection has also been documented in at least one domestic pet linked to a patient. The extent of AKPV’s geographic distribution and animal reservoirs remain unknown,” the bulletin said.
Health officials said there haven’t been any documented cases of humans passing on the virus but they recommended people with skin lesions possibly caused by Alaskapox to cover the affected area with a bandage. Other suggestions were to thoroughly wash hands, avoid sharing clothing that might have touched the lesions, and to launder clothing and sheets separately from other household items.
Health authorities also urged Alaskans to follow federal health precautions when around wildlife to avoid potential Alaskapox infections.
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water after contacting wild animals or their feces. Hunters should always wear gloves when handling dead animals, even if they are freshly killed, the agency suggests.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
