Newly found viral disease, Alaskapox

According to the WION, Alaskan health officials have confirmed the state's first fatality from the recently discovered virus known as Alaskapox. The first casualty of the viral sickness was an elderly man from the Kenai peninsula, south of Anchorage, who was immunocompromised. 

What is alaskapox and Is it fatal?

Alaskapox, a double-stranded-DNA virus, was first identified in 2015 in Fairbanks, Alaska. It is the most common in small mammals and has no documented human-to-human transmission. However, due to potential skin lesions caused by Alaskapox, it is recommended that affected individuals keep the affected area covered with a bandage.

A man in Alaska died after contracting Alaskapox, a deadly virus. The Alaska Division of Public Health reported that most patients had mild illnesses that resolved after a few weeks, with one patient with an immunocompromised condition developing severe disease and dying after prolonged illness. The man's case took several months to diagnose, and it is unclear how he contracted the disease. Doctors speculate that he contracted it from a cat he lived with, which scratched him and tested negative for the virus. In December, tests initially detected cowpox, but later confirmed it was Alaskapox.