In the United States, a resident of the Kenai Peninsula died at the end of January after being infected with the Alaskapox virus or Alaskan smallpox.
- In Alaska, more precisely in the Kenai Peninsula, an immunocompromised patient was infected with the Alaskapox virus.
- This orthopoxvirus, which was first identified in 2015, causes one or more skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and joint or muscle pain.
- Despite various treatments administered intravenously, the elderly man died in late January after suffering kidney failure and other systemic deterioration.
In September 2023, an American man with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression secondary to cancer treatment noticed a red, painful pimple in his right armpit. Over the next six weeks, the elderly man made several visits to his primary care physician and to the emergency room for clinical evaluation of the lesion. The resident of the Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska was prescribed antibiotics, according to the state health department.
Despite the treatment, the patient, who lived alone in a forest area, experienced fatigue, abnormal hardening of the pimple and increasing pain in the affected armpit and shoulder. “On November 17, he was hospitalized due to significant progression of suspected infectious cellulitis that was affecting the range of motion of his right arm. The man was then transferred to a hospital in centrally located Anchorage -southern Alaska. He complained of severe burning pain of a neuropathic type”, can we read in the press release. During his admission to the health establishment, the patient confided that he had been scratched several times by a stray cat, which he was caring for, which regularly hunted small mammals.
Alaskapox virus was first identified in 2015
So, doctors decided to carry out a battery of tests, which revealed that the American had been infected with the Alaskapox virus or Alaskan smallpox. According to health authoritiesthis virus is an orthopoxvirus, which was first identified in a person in Alaska in 2015. Since that time, six additional cases of Alaskapox virus have been reported in the state.
Due to the rarity of cases, epidemiologists are not sure how people contracted the virus, but they believe it is likely transmitted through direct contact with infected voles and squirrels. “Pet animals (cats and dogs) can also play a role in the spread of the virus,” has indicated the state health department. In the elderly man’s case, the cat was not the source of the infection, as he tested negative for Alaskapox virus.
According to authorities, infected adults experienced one or more skin lesions and other symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes and joint or muscle pain. Many people initially thought it was an insect bite. Almost all patients had mild symptoms and got better after a few weeks.
Alaskapox: “the patient’s immunocompromised status probably contributed to the severity of the disease”
However, this was not the case for the Kenai Peninsula resident who suffered more severe symptoms. After receiving various intravenous treatments, his condition began to improve. However, despite intensive medical monitoring, the man subsequently experienced delayed wound healing, malnutrition, acute renal failure and respiratory failure. At the end of last January he died. “This is the first case of serious Alaskapox infection resulting in hospitalization and death. The patient’s immunocompromised status likely contributed to the severity of the illness.”
Faced with this first fatal case caused by Alaskan smallpox, epidemiologists recommend that Alaskans wear gloves when touching small mammals and wash their hands afterwards. “Be careful that your pets do not come into contact with these small mammals.” In case of skin lesions, patients should cover them with a bandage so as not to touch them and immediately consult a healthcare professional.
