According to the Alaska Department of Health, the orthopoxvirus Alaskapox was first discovered nine years ago. The recent fatality occurred in the Kenai Peninsula, located in the southern region of Alaska, approximately 500 miles away from Fairbanks. It is noteworthy that all previous cases of this disease were concentrated in the northern region of the state.
“I totally appreciate that that’s a new case, that people are surprised. But then, if you know the reality of diseases and the history of diseases, we shouldn’t be surprised,” Falk Huettmann, a University of Alaska Fairbanks biologist said.
“Everything is possible by now,” he said.
According to a state epidemiology bulletin issued on Friday, the deceased individual from the Kenai Peninsula was elderly and had a compromised immune system. Similar to the individuals who fell ill near Fairbanks, he resided in a wooded area where potential contact with small mammals could have occurred. The bulletin did not disclose his identity, nor did the Beacon.
In September, the man noticed lesions in his right armpit, as stated in the bulletin. He was admitted to a hospital in November and unfortunately passed away in January, marking the first fatality of Alaskapox. The bulletin explains that the disease is transmitted by small mammals, particularly Alaska’s red-backed vole. The Kenai Peninsula man mentioned that he had been taking care of a stray cat that had been hunting in the nearby forest, and it had scratched him multiple times.
The bulletin suggests that the disease has likely spread across much of Alaska through the voles and other mammals that carry it. Prior to the man’s death, Alaskapox infections typically only caused fevers and fatigue, as stated by Julia Rogers, a state epidemiologist, according to the Beacon.
“All six prior cases were identified in an outpatient setting and involved mild illnesses that were largely resolved within a few weeks without hospitalization. None of these patients had significant prior medical history, including immunocompromising conditions,” Rogers said.
The disease was detected in a vole specimen from the University of Alaska Museum of the North’s collection, according to Link Olson, the curator of mammals.
“We know this is not a last-10-years-thing,” he said, noting the potential exists for the disease to be found beyond Alaska.
“I fully expect that this will be detected across the boreal forest,” Olson said, describing a region that stretches all the way to Canada’s east coast.
“Orthopox viruses are zoonotic viruses, meaning that they circulate primarily within animal populations with spillover into humans occasionally,” she said.
