An elderly man has become the first recorded patient to die from Alaska smallpox, smallpox’s little-known cousin.
Only seven cases of infection have been reported since 2015, when it was first observed by scientists in Fairbanks. Alaska.
The new victim registered on the Kenai Peninsula, in the south of the state, was receiving treatment in the hospital when he died in late January, authorities confirmed.
But what is Alaskan smallpox? And can it spread between humans? Here, MailOnline details everything you need to know about the virus.
Symptoms of Alaska smallpox include skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain. The old man was one of seven Alaska smallpox infections ever recorded. Many of them initially thought they had suffered a spider or insect bite.
Health officials recommend covering any skin lesions that develop and avoiding touching the sore. The immunocompromised man first saw a red lump in his armpit in September 2023 and was prescribed antibiotic treatments after visiting A&E.
Is Alaskan smallpox similar to smallpox?
Known as AKPV, Alaskan smallpox belongs to the orthopoxvirus family.
Other members include cowpox, monkeypox and smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases before it was eradicated.
The virus is believed to be transmitted from small rodents such as voles and shrews to humans.
The Alaska Department of Health also warned that household pets, such as dogs and cats, “can also play a role in spreading the virus.”
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of Alaska smallpox include skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain, similar to those caused by monkeypox.
Many of the seven known cases initially thought they had suffered a spider or insect bite.
Alaska health officials recommend covering any skin lesions that develop and avoiding touching the sore.
The unidentified man who died first saw a red lump in his armpit in September 2023 and was prescribed antibiotic treatments after visiting A&E.
But when his symptoms worsened, experiencing fatigue and pain in his armpit and shoulder, he was hospitalized in November.
Doctors noticed that he had “four smaller smallpox-like lesions” on different parts of his body.
However, he suffered further complications that resulted in kidney failure and finally his death at the end of January.
Is it transmitted between humans?
Scientists are still not sure how the Alaskan smallpox virus spreads, but they say evidence suggests it is zoonotic, a disease that jumps from animals to humans.
No human-to-human transmission of AKVP has yet been documented.
But other viruses in the same family, including smallpox and monkeypox, have been shown to pass through direct contact with infected people.
The unidentified man lived alone in a remote area of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula and was thought to have been infected after being scratched by a stray cat, according to authorities.
“It is likely that the virus is present more widely in small mammals in Alaska and that more infections in humans have occurred but have not been identified,” they added.
Sampling of small mammals in 2020 and 2021 in Alaska’s Fairbanks North Star Borough, where the other six virus cases occurred, found traces of Alaska pox virus in red-backed voles and shrews.
How deadly is it?
This is the first case ever reported of an Alaskan smallpox infection resulting in hospitalization and death.
However, authorities noted that the man was immunocompromised and receiving cancer treatment, putting him at higher risk for serious illness.
Doctors suggested this could have contributed to the severity of his illness and his eventual death.
The other six patients had mild illnesses that resolved on their own within a few weeks.
The double-stranded DNA virus is thought to be transmitted from small rodents such as voles and shrews to humans. The Alaska Department of Health also warned that household pets, such as cats and dogs, “can also play a role in the spread of the virus.”
Sampling of small mammals in 2020 and 2021 in Alaska’s Fairbanks North Star Borough, where the other six virus cases occurred, found traces of Alaska pox virus in red-backed voles and shrews.
What should patients do to prevent it from spreading?
State health officials advised those who develop lesions to avoid touching them and keep them dry and covered with bandages.
Practicing good hand hygiene and avoiding sharing clothing and bedding with others were two other key recommendations.
People in regular contact with wildlife may also need to take extra precautions, officials said.
Is it limited to Alaska?
Cases have never been reported outside of Alaska, suggesting it is limited to the state.
But this fatal case is the first to be reported on the state’s southern Kenai Peninsula, suggesting it has spread more widely within Alaska.
The mammals, likewise, do not respect border restrictions, indicating that they could be spreading in Canada.
As the man lived alone in a forested area and did not report any recent travel or close contacts with similar illnesses or travel, it also indicates that the virus is more widely distributed in animals than previously thought, the scientists added.
“Further animal testing is underway to better understand the distribution of the virus in Alaska’s animal populations.”