Alaskapox virus symptoms as first death prompts warning from expert

Experts have shared the symptoms of a new virus called Alaskapox following the death of its first victim.While cases have only been reported in Alaska so far, experts have warned that recently discovered illness has "potential for person-to-person transmission".

It comes after an elderly man from the remote Kenai Peninsula became the first known person to die from the virus last month.According to Alaskan Health officials, the elderly man died in late January and had been hospitalised since November 2023 to undergo cancer treatment - which is said to have weakened his immune system.

While these factors are important to consider, officials have shared the warning signs those with Alaskapox have exhibited so far.Skin lesions, muscle pain and a fever are known warning signs of Alaskapox, which some sufferers initially believed to be bug bites, the Daily Star reports.Julia Rogers, from the Alaska Division of Public Health said scientists are working to gain a deeper understanding of the virus and its transmission potential "Alaskapox virus is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus, meaning that it's passed from animals to humans," she said."These viruses infect mammals and cause skin lesions." There have been a total of six documented Alaskapox cases as of December 2023, with the first found in a woman in Fairbanks back in 2015.

The latest case is the first outside of Fairbanks, showing the virus might be all over Alaska's small animals.Ms Rogers added: "Our investigation indicates that Alaskapox virus appears to be more widely prevalent in small mammals in Alaska than previously known, rather than confined to the Fairbanks area."It's not certain how people get AKPV, but it's believed it could come from animals to humans.