Alaskapox was discovered in the state in 2015 and is related to other orthopox viruses like smallpox, cowpox, and monkeypox. Epidemiologist Dr. Julia Rogers, who works for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is assigned to the Alaska Division of Public Health, said the virus primarily infects animals.
“Orthopox viruses are zoonotic viruses, meaning that they circulate primarily within animal populations with spillover into humans occasionally,” Rogers said.
Rogers said she expects any AKPV infections to remain rare and it’s unlikely someone who is not immunocompromised would die from the virus. She said there’s no evidence of person-to-person transmission.
Only six other people have had confirmed Alaskapox cases and they were all in the Fairbanks area. All of the previous infections have been from contact with animals.
The state has tested small mammals for the virus and found it mostly in red voles and squirrels.
Because there are so few cases, epidemiologists don’t know exactly how people can get the virus but Rogers said it’s likely transmitted by direct contact with an infected animal.
The man who died from the virus lived alone in a forested area of the Kenai Peninsula and was feeding and interacting with a stray cat who he said scratched him regularly and hunted small mammals.
The cat was tested for AKPV and was negative. Rogers said Alaskans should be cautious when handling small mammals.
People should wear gloves when retrieving small mammals from traps and wash their hands afterwards.
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