First Fatal Case of Alaskapox Confirmed in Man With Cancer
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What Are the Symptoms of Alaskapox?
Skin lesions caused by Alaskapox can become pus-filled blisters and should be kept covered with a bandage to prevent potential spread.
“Sores can last for weeks or months but tend to resolve with a risk of leaving scars, but without [requiring] treatment in most people,” says Stuart C. Ray, MD, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Other common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes and joint or muscle pain.
Alaskapox Is Not a Major Public Health Concern
“People should not be alarmed,” says Dr. Ray. “Based on currently available information, this remains a rare infection even in the geographic region where it has been described, and it is not generally life-threatening.”
The man who died developed the first signs of infection in September 2023, when a tender red papule appeared in his right armpit.
Because the man had been receiving immunosuppressive drugs to treat cancer, health officials believe he was more vulnerable to severe illness due to his weakened immune system.
Despite receiving antibiotics and intensive medical support, the patient experienced delayed wound healing, malnutrition, kidney failure, and respiratory failure. He died in late January of this year.
Alaskapox May Transmit to Humans via Pets
“There is some reason to speculate that Alaskapox can be spread from the natural host — likely a small wild mammal — via a cat or dog to humans, but more research is needed,” says Ray.
To date, no human-to-human transmission of Alaskapox virus has been documented. However, because Alaskapox is in the orthopoxvirus family, the Alaska Department of Health warns that it may be transmitted through direct contact with skin lesions.
Potential Wider Geographic Spread Concerns Officials
Because this fatal case was reported outside Alaska’s interior, where previous cases occurred, state officials are concerned that the virus may be spreading to small mammals in a wider region than previously thought. Alaska health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working together to test small mammals outside of the interior region.
“While human encroachment on wild animals increases zoonotic potential [transmission from animals to humans], we also have increasingly sensitive and accurate tools for detecting and classifying new pathogens,” or causes of disease, says Ray.
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