Health officials report first death from Alaskapox

A state epidemiology bulletin reported last week that an elderly man died due to complications from the virus, which has been confirmed in only a few people since its discovery. The man’s case likely became more severe because his immune system had been compromised by cancer treatments, according to the bulletin. He was hospitalized in late November after the infection began affecting the motion in his right arm, and he died last month. Alaskapox symptoms include skin lesions, muscle pain, and swollen lymph nodes and joints.

How do you contract Alaskapox? The Alaska Division of Public Health advises that the virus is primarily found in small mammals, specifically red-backed voles and shrews. The department is unsure how the virus spreads to people but believes housepets in contact with infected wild animals may play a role. There have been no cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus. However, officials note that other orthopoxviruses can be spread by skin-to-skin contact with lesions. The elderly man lived alone in a remote area of the Kenai Peninsula and had not recently traveled. The man did keep an outdoor cat, which tested negative for Alaskapox.

Is this signaling an outbreak? The first case of Alaskapox was discovered in 2015, and only six others have been identified since. Most patients infected experienced “mild illnesses that resolved on their own after a few weeks.” The fatal case is the first diagnosed outside the Fairbanks region, a southcentral city over 300 miles away from the Kenai Peninsula.