What is Alaskapox? First fatality reported from animal-borne virus, likely contracted from stray cat

The first fatality from Alaskapox, a type of orthopoxvirus, has been reported on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

State officials released a bulletin on Feb. 9 detailing that an elderly man contracted the virus in Sept. 2023, likely from an infected stray cat who scratched him.

The man, whose immune system had been suppressed by cancer treatments, first noticed a tender red bump in his underarm. Over the next few weeks, he also experienced fatigue and pain in his arm and shoulder.

On Nov. 17, the patient was hospitalized with cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection, according to the Alaska Department of Public Health (ADPH).