Forbes An elderly man has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox, health officials confirmed, urging doctors to stay alert for signs of the recently discovered virus that is closely related to other dangerous human pathogens like smallpox and mpox.
The man, who was from Alaska’s remote Kenai Peninsula, is one of only seven people known to have contracted Alaskapox virus since its discovery in a patient in Fairbanks in 2015.
Infection with the virus, also known as AKPV, has historically caused mild illness that resolves itself with symptoms including skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and joint or muscle pain, though severe disease is more likely in people with compromised immune systems.