Man dies in first known fatal case of Alaskapox

An Alaska man died last month from Alaskapox, a rare virus that occurs mainly in small mammals and can cause skin lesions, state health officials said.

Alaskapox was first identified in 2015 in a woman living near Fairbanks, Alaska, and a total of seven cases of the virus have been reported to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology. Until last month, no one had been hospitalized or died from Alaska pox, which can also cause swollen lymph nodes and muscle or joint pain, Alaska epidemiology officials said Friday.

Of the seven people who have had Alaskapox, six lived in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, where red-backed mice and shrews have been found to have the virus, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Alaskapox has not been shown to spread between people.

Dr. Julia Rogers, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Tuesday that symptoms of the Alaskapox infection were generally mild.

“There may have been cases in the past that we just didn't catch because of that,” said Dr. Rogers, adding that it is possible that the recorded number of cases could increase as more doctors learn how to identify it.

The Alaska Section of Epidemiology, which has not released the name of the man who died from the virus, said in a rack that he was “an elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression.”

Health officials in Alaska said it was still unclear how the man contracted the virus. The man lived alone in a wooded area and had not traveled recently or had close contact with anyone who had recently traveled, the Health Ministry said.

The man told doctors that he was caring for a stray cat at his home and that the cat often scratched him, including once near his right armpit, about a month before he noticed a red papule had formed there in September 2023. officials said. The cat was later tested for other orthopoxviruses and all tests were negative, according to the health department. Still, health officials said it was possible the stray cat could be the source of the virus.

Dr. Rogers said it was possible the stray cat's claws carried the virus because it scratched around other rodents.

“But we cannot say with certainty how the specific mode of transmission occurred in this patient or in previous patients,” said Dr. Rogers.

Dr. Joe McLaughlin, an Alaska state epidemiologist and chief of the Alaska Section of Epidemiology, said in an interview that all patients who have had Alaskapox have owned a cat or a dog, and that health officials are working to determine what role pets might play. to play. play in the spread of the virus.

“Because Alaskapox is rare, our main message is that Alaskans should not be overly concerned about this virus,” said Dr. McLaughlin, “but be aware of it.”

In the six weeks after the man noticed the lesion, he went to his GP and local emergency department several times because of the lesion, Heath said. He was prescribed several courses of antibiotics, but they did not help, health officials said.

The man was admitted to hospital on November 17 because the lesion had affected his ability to move his arm. He was later transferred to a hospital in nearby Anchorage, health officials said. While hospitalized there, the man said he experienced “burning pain” and four pox-like lesions were found across his body, health officials said.

After a number of tests, doctors were able to rule out cowpox, MPox and other viruses, health officials said. A swab from the man's lesion was later sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found it was consistent with other cases of Alaskapox, according to health officials.

While the man was in the hospital, health officials said, he suffered from wounds that took a long time to heal, malnutrition, acute kidney failure and breathing problems. He died in late January, the Health Ministry said.

Dr. McLaughlin said because people with weakened immune systems have experienced worse symptoms with other orthopoxviruses, it is important for doctors in Alaska to diagnose Alaskapox early.