The Alaska Department of Health has reported the first death from Alaskapox, a new virus identified in 2015. The deceased was a man with a health condition, living in the Kenai Peninsula. This is the seventh case in the state and the first outside of Fairbanks. The last cases were reported in 2021 in Fairbanks, involving a girl and a woman, with no connection between them.
The man started showing symptoms in September 2023, with a red, tender spot in his right armpit. He was receiving cancer treatment at the time. His condition worsened over six weeks, leading to hospitalization for cellulitis that affected his arm movement. He was later moved to an Anchorage hospital as his symptoms got worse.
Initial tests indicated cowpox, but further testing at the state health lab showed a generic orthopox virus. A sample sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was consistent with Alaskapox virus. However, genetic sequencing showed it was different from earlier cases in Fairbanks. Despite treatment, his health declined, leading to delayed wound healing, kidney failure, and respiratory failure. He died in January 2024.