Alaska state health officials have confirmed the state’s first death from Alaska pox, a recently discovered viral disease.
An elderly man with a weakened immune system from the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage died during treatment in late January. Anchorage Daily News reported.
He is one of only seven people reported to have contracted variola in Alaska, according to the Alaska Department of Public Health. said in Friday’s announcement..
“People don’t necessarily need to worry, but they should be more aware,” state epidemiologist Julia Rogers said. “So we want to help clinicians know more about what Alaskapox virus is so they can identify the signs and symptoms.”
This double-stranded DNA virus, which comes from the same genus as smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox, was first identified in adults in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2015. It is most common in small mammals such as voles.
This death was the first confirmed outside of interior Alaska, but cases of Alaska pox had previously been difficult to diagnose because patients had only mild symptoms (usually a localized rash or swollen lymph nodes). It took months.
Health officials said the other patients diagnosed with the virus did not require treatment and all had healthy immune systems.
Officials said the man’s immunocompromised condition likely contributed to his death. It remains unclear how he contracted the virus.
The man reported living alone in the woods and had not traveled recently. Officials said she may have contracted Alaska pox from a cat she lived with, which frequently hunted small mammals and may have scratched her when she became symptomatic.
Although the cat tested negative for the virus, it is possible that the cat contracted the virus through its claws.
In September, the man noticed a red swelling under his right armpit and was prescribed antibiotics. However, after six weeks, his symptoms only worsened and included fatigue and pain.
He was hospitalized in Anchorage and underwent a “series of tests” in December that tested positive for cowpox. Additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control determined that it was actually Alaska variola.
Health officials said his condition initially improved within a week of being given IV drugs, but he developed kidney and respiratory failure and died in late January.
