Man dies in first known fatal case of Alaskapox
Alaska state health officials said a man died last month from the virus, which mainly affects small mammals and causes lesions. Seven human cases have been reported since 2015.
An Alaska man died last month from Alaskapox, a rare virus that primarily affects small mammals and can cause skin lesions, according to state health officials.
Alaska smallpox was first identified in 2015 in a woman who lived near Fairbanks, Alaska, and seven total cases of the virus were reported to the Alaska Epidemiology Section. Until last month, no one had been hospitalized or died from Alaskapox, which can also cause swollen lymph nodes and muscle or joint pain, state epidemiology officials said Friday. Alaska.
Of the seven people who had Alaskapox, six lived in the Fairbanks North Star borough, where voles and shrews redheads were found to have the virus, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Alaskapox has not been found to spread between humans.
Dr. Julia Rogers, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Tuesday that symptoms of Alaskapox infection are usually mild.
"It "There could have been cases in the past that we just didn't detect because of that," Dr. Rogers said, adding that it's possible that recorded cases will increase as more doctors learn how to do them. identify.
The Alaska Epidemiology Section, which did not release the name of the man who died from the virus, said in a statement that he was an “elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression.”
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Alaska state health officials said a man died last month from the virus, which mainly affects small mammals and causes lesions. Seven human cases have been reported since 2015.
An Alaska man died last month from Alaskapox, a rare virus that primarily affects small mammals and can cause skin lesions, according to state health officials.
Alaska smallpox was first identified in 2015 in a woman who lived near Fairbanks, Alaska, and seven total cases of the virus were reported to the Alaska Epidemiology Section. Until last month, no one had been hospitalized or died from Alaskapox, which can also cause swollen lymph nodes and muscle or joint pain, state epidemiology officials said Friday. Alaska.
Of the seven people who had Alaskapox, six lived in the Fairbanks North Star borough, where voles and shrews redheads were found to have the virus, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Alaskapox has not been found to spread between humans.
Dr. Julia Rogers, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Tuesday that symptoms of Alaskapox infection are usually mild.
"It "There could have been cases in the past that we just didn't detect because of that," Dr. Rogers said, adding that it's possible that recorded cases will increase as more doctors learn how to do them. identify.
The Alaska Epidemiology Section, which did not release the name of the man who died from the virus, said in a statement that he was an “elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression.”
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