In the USA, the first death from Alaskan smallpox was recorded: what is known about the disease
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At the end of January in the state of Alaska (USA), an elderly man died of Alaskan smallpox (Alaskapox). This is the first recorded fatality.
The dangerous virus was first discovered in 2015, CNN reports.
“This is the first case of a severe Alaska pox infection that resulted in hospitalization and death,” – says the press release of the State Health Department.
The deceased lived on the remote Kenai Peninsula. He was hospitalized in November last year. The man was undergoing treatment for cancer, so his immune system was weakened. Experts suggest that this could contribute to the severe course of the disease.
Experts say that it is quite rare for people to get Alaskan pox. For the most part, this disease is common among small mammals living in the territory of the state. If a person is infected with it, the disease usually proceeds in a mild form, epidemiologists assure.
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Since the discovery of Alaska pox virus in 2015, only seven cases of the disease have been reported. All patients recovered within a few weeks and did not require hospitalization.
“Six out of seven cases were mild, so the patient didn’t even need to receive treatment from a medical facility,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, state epidemiologist and chief of epidemiology at the Alaska Department of Health.
What is known about smallpox of Alaska (Alaskapox)?
Joe McLaughlin says the Alaskan pox virus belongs to the orthopoxviruses (a group of viruses that cause different types of smallpox).
“It’s possible that this virus has been in Alaska for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It’s possible that it was present before, before 2015. These cases were subclinical or mildly clinical, and the diagnosis was not confirmed.”– said the epidemiologist.
Currently, it is not known for certain about the ways of infection with Alaskan smallpox, so the virus needs detailed research and study. However, scientists believe that it can be transmitted to humans from animals. Do not exclude the possibility of infection from pets.
Health officials say the deceased man lived in a wooded area and took care of a stray cat. Despite the fact that the cat tested negative for the virus, it often hunted small mammals.
“A stray cat entered the house from time to time, and the deceased played with it, he often scratched it. Scratches from the cat can be a source of infection.”– suggests epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin.
Read also: Bubonic plague was discovered in the USA for the first time in many years: the patient could have been infected by a cat
Symptoms of the disease
The main symptom of the disease is a skin rash that initially resembles a spider bite, McLaughlin says. Lymph nodes may also increase, pain in muscles and joints may occur, and fever may occur.
People with a weakened immune system may have more dangerous symptoms, doctors say. The man who died of Alaskapox had slow-healing wounds, malnutrition, and acute kidney and respiratory failure.
Although some orthopoxviruses can be transmitted between people through direct contact with an affected area of skin, there is no evidence that a person with Alaska pox can infect anyone else.
McLaughlin also reassured that people living outside of Alaska should not worry that they could be infected with this virus.
Earlier we talked about what “disease X” is and why you should not panic.
Read also: Monkey pox: symptoms, ways of transmission and prevention
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