An elderly man living in Alaska has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox, a recently discovered viral disease. Authorities confirmed that the man, who lived on the Kenai Peninsula in the southern part of the state, died while being treated at a hospital in late January. The ministry added that the man had a history of a weakened immune system due to drug use, which likely contributed to the severity of his illness.
The victim was one of seven reported Alaskapox infections; The first was detected in 2015 in an adult suffering from a local rash and swollen lymph nodes. All previous patients diagnosed with the virus, also from the Fairbanks area, did not require treatment and experienced mild infections.
Alaskapox, or AKPV, is a double-stranded DNA virus that officials say appears zoonotic, circulating primarily among Alaska’s state mammals and occasionally infecting humans. Symptoms included one or more skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle pain.
The man noticed a red bump in his armpit in September and was treated with antibiotics, but his symptoms worsened as he felt fatigued and pain in the area and shoulder increased. After the mobility of his right arm was affected, the man was transported to a hospital where he reported other symptoms, including smallpox-like lesions, the case report said. While his condition improved after a week of treatment, it would soon result in death due to delayed wound healing, respiratory and kidney failure.
The man began to improve about a week after treatment with intravenous drugs, but died in late January after suffering kidney failure and other systemic declines, according to the release. APKV deserves “increased statewide awareness” among health officials due to its widespread spread in small mammals, the report said.
People with suspected Alaskapox are advised to avoid touching the lesions, keep them dry and covered, and pay attention to hand hygiene.