Alaskapox: What to know about rare virus after 1st reported human death
Alaskapox, a virus first identified in 2015, has recently claimed the life of an elderly Alaskan man, marking the first known human fatality linked with this pathogen, according to officials.The man, from the Kenai Peninsula (just south of Anchorage), was hospitalized in November due to a worsening infection that impacted the range of motion in his arm, Alaskan public health officials stated on Feb. 9.
He then tested positive for Alaskapox (also known as AKPV) and died in January.The man was undergoing cancer treatment and had a suppressed immune system because of the drugs, which may have contributed to the severity of his illness, officials said. He was described as elderly but an age wasn’t given.“With Alaskapox, it was first described in 2015 as new, and since then there have been seven reported cases,” infectious diseases specialist Dr.
Isaac Bogoch told Global News. “Most of the cases were around the Fairbanks, Alaska region, but it’s likely much more widespread.
This is probably going to be one of those things where the more you look for it, the more you’re going to find it.”Alaskapox, part of the orthopoxvirus family, is known to afflict both animals and humans with disease. This virus family also includes illnesses like smallpox and mpox, Bogoch said.“These viruses occur all over the world and they typically live in rodent populations,” Bogoch said.
“Once in a while, they can move from the rodent population either to other non-human animals or from rodent populations to humans, or from rodent populations to non-human animals to humans.“Alaskapox was first identified in an adult living near Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2015, according to health officials.To date, there have been seven reported Alaskapox infections. And
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