What is Alaskan smallpox? The rare newly discovered virus that has claimed its first fatality

2024-02-14 15:11:02
The death of an elderly man from Alaska smallpox, the first known death from this recently discovered pathogen, has put the spotlight on a disease that primarily affects small mammals in this region of North America. This is an orthopoxvirus that was first identified in a patient in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2015. This family of viruses is known to infect mammals, including humans, and can cause the development of skin lesions. The virus has been identified most frequently in voles and red-backed shrews. However, the virus is likely more widespread in small mammal populations in Alaska, and human infections may have occurred in other patients but were not diagnosed. Household pets such as cats and dogs can also play a role in spreading the virus. To date, no person-to-person transmission of Alaska smallpox virus has been documented. However, because certain orthopoxviruses can be transmitted through direct contact with skin lesions, Alaska health officials recommend that people with skin lesions possibly caused by Alaska smallpox keep the affected area covered with a bandage. Symptoms of Alaska smallpox include one or more skin lesions (bumps or pustules) and other symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes and joint and/or muscle pain. Immunocompromised people may be at higher risk for more serious illnesses. The man, who lived on the remote Kenai Peninsula, was hospitalized in November of last year and died in late January, according to a bulletin issued last week by Alaska public health officials, AP reports. The patient was receiving treatment for cancer, so he had a weakened immune system, which may have contributed to the severity of his illness, according to the bulletin, which did not specify his age. Alaskan smallpox, also known as AKPV, is related to smallpox, cowpox, and mpox. Only six other cases of the virus have been reported to Alaska health officials since the first in 2015. All of the people involved lived in the Fairbanks area, more than 300 miles from the Kenai Peninsula. All were mild cases and recovered without needing to be hospitalized. The man who died “resided alone in a wooded area and did not report any recent travel or close contact with recent travel, similar illnesses or injuries,” the health bulletin indicates. Testing found evidence of current or previous infection in several species of small mammals in the Fairbanks area, including red-backed voles and at least one domestic pet. The man explained that he had taken care of a stray cat at his house. The animal tested negative for the virus, but “it regularly hunted small mammals and frequently scratched the patient,” the bulletin notes. This circumstance opens the possibility that the cat had the virus on his claws when he scratched it. The patient had a “noticeable” scratch near the armpit area where the first symptom was observed: a red lesion. Prevention Measures Health officials say there are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission, but they advised people with skin lesions possibly caused by Alaska smallpox to cover the affected area with a bandage. They also recommended washing your hands thoroughly, avoiding sharing clothing that could have touched the lesions, and washing clothes and sheets separately from other household items. Health officials also urged Alaskans to follow federal health precautions when around wild animals to avoid possible Alaska smallpox infections.
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