An elderly man from the US has become the first recorded patient to die from Alaskapox – a virus that is closely related to smallpox. Since 2015, only seven cases of the infection have been reported. Scientists first observed the virus in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The virus known as AKPV spreads from small rodents to humans and causes mild illness including small skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes and muscle pain, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The person who succumbed to the virus was immunocompromised and undergoing treatment for cancer. His complications arose after one of his skin lesions became infected which led to kidney failure and ultimately his death in late January. The man lived alone in Alaska’s remote Kenai Peninsula and may have been infected after being scratched by a stray cat.
There is no evidence that Alaskapox can be transmitted between humans but Alaskan health officials advised that the skin lesions should be covered with bandages as a preemptive measure.
The US state’s department of health warned that domestic pets such as cats and dogs “may also play a role in spreading the virus”.
“Although we know the virus spreads in small rodents, such as voles and shrews, some patients in the past have suggested they were bitten by spiders, cats, or dogs. We don’t really know how it is spread at this point. There is no reason to be alarmed, however. It is always good to be better informed about our interactions with wildlife. Washing our hands carefully with soap or alcohol-based products helps to protect against viruses, as well as recognising the signs of infection,” Dr Stathis Giotis, a Research Fellow at the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London and lecturer of Molecular Virology at the University of Essex was quoted as saying by the UK-based The Telegraph.
He also highlighted that scientists are yet to establish the pathogen’s main transmission route.
He also said that even though it was discovered only 9 years ago it may have been circulating for a “long time before that” due to its mild nature. This means most infections flew under the radar. The virus is a species of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Cowpox, smallpox, and mpox are other members of the same family and these can infect humans.
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