Alaskapox: First Human Dies from Animal-Borne Virus in Kenai Peninsula, Infection Likely Came from Stray Cat

Alaskapox has just claimed its first human victim in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula after an elderly man, who contracted the animal-borne disease late last year, died in January 2024. Alaskan health authorities confirmed this is the first human fatality from the infectious disease caused by a virus. Following the reported death, state officials assumed that the disease likely came from an infected stray cat.

The Alaskapox disease is caused by a virus species belonging to the genus Orthopoxvirus. It was first detected in Fairbanks, Alaska, in the United States back in 2015. Since then, related cases of the virus have been spread by small mammals across the state. Prior to the pathogen's first fatal case, the Alaska virus was previously deemed as 'non-lethal' among humans. After all, there are only a total of seven cases as of February 2024.

Health experts consider this type of Orthopoxvirus as a zoonotic virus that can be transmitted between human primates and animals. Alaskapox is compared with other orthopox viruses, like monkeypox and smallpox, but its symptoms are not as serious as the two mentioned viruses. The exact origins of the animal-borne virus remain a mystery, but the rare pathogen is known for infecting small mammals.

Alaskapox Claims First Human Victim

Alaskapox: First Human Dies from Animal-Borne Virus in Kenai Peninsula, Infection Likely Came from Stray Cat — (Photo : Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash)

The elderly man who died from Alaskapox last month was initially hospitalized in November 2023 with cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. However, the Alaskan man's case only became clear when state officials earlier in February 2024 revealed that the patient contracted Alaskapox in September 2023, according to reports. Prior to his hospitalization and diagnosis of Alaskapox, the man first noticed a red bump in his underarm.

In the succeeding weeks, the patient reportedly experienced fatigue and pain throughout his arm and shoulder. He was eventually transferred to an Anchorage hospital, where medical personnel conducted a series of tests to determine the source of infection accompanied by excruciating pain. Despite the treatments, officials announced the patient's death after suffering from acute renal failure, malnutrition, and respiratory failure.

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What is Alaskapox Virus?

According to the Alaska Department of Health (DPH), the Alaskapox virus and its family of viruses are known for infecting mammals, including humans, and symptoms of its disease can lead to the development of skin lesions. Aside from a recent fatal case, the DPH says that the other six Alaskapox cases were reported across the state, five of which were in people living in the Fairbanks North Star Borough and one also in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Understanding of the Alaskapox virus is not as widespread as pandemic-level viruses like SARS-CoV-2. However, local health officials suspect that the immunocompromised elderly man who died from the Alaskapox disease likely got infected due a scratch coming from a feline. Due to the growing threat, the DPH announced the following known Alaskapox symptoms: