An elderly man in Alaska has become the first known fatality from Alaskapox, a recently discovered virus, according to state health officials. The man, who lived in the remote Kenai Peninsula, was hospitalised in November last year and died in late January.
The man was undergoing cancer treatment and had a suppressed immune system, which may have contributed to the severity of his illness, a health bulletin said. It described him as elderly but did not provide his age. Alaskapox, also known as AKPV, is related to smallpox, cowpox and mpox, and symptoms can include a rash, swollen lymph nodes and joint or muscle pain.
Only six other cases of the virus have been reported in Alaska since 2015, all in the Fairbanks area, more than 300 miles from the Kenai Peninsula. All those cases were mild and patients recovered without hospitalisation.
The man lived alone in a forested area and reported no recent travel or close contacts with illness. He had cared for a stray cat that regularly hunted small mammals and frequently scratched him. Although the cat tested negative for the virus, officials noted a scratch near the armpit where the first symptom, a red lesion, appeared.
Health officials said there have been no documented cases of human-to-human transmission, but recommended that people with lesions possibly caused by Alaskapox cover them with a bandage, wash hands thoroughly, and avoid sharing clothing that may have touched the lesions. They also urged Alaskans to follow federal precautions around wildlife to avoid potential infection.
