Alaskapox death reported, 1st known fatality
Alaskapox death reported, 1st known fatality
I first reported on Alaskapox, an orthopoxvirus like smallpox or cowpox, several years ago on my old website—HERE and HERE.
Late last week, Alaska state health officials reported on the first case of severe Alaskapox infection resulting in hospitalization and death.
According to the State of Alaska Epidemiology, in mid-September 2023, an elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression secondary to cancer treatment started exhibiting symptoms- starting with a tender red papule in his right axilla.
Laboratory testing initially reported as positive for cowpox and later was determined to be Alaskapox by the CDC.
Despite hospitalization and treatment, he died in late January 2024.
Alaskapox virus (AKPV) is a recently discovered orthopoxvirus that wasfirst identified in an adult living near Fairbanks in 2015.
Until December 2023, all reported infections occurred in residents of the Fairbanks area and involved self-limiting illness consisting of a localized rash and lymphadenopathy.
Small mammal testing in the Fairbanks area identified evidence of current or prior AKPV infection in four different species (though mostly in red-backed voles).
It is reported that 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 man is one of seven reported Alaskapox infections to date.