1st fatal case of Alaskapox may have been tied to stray cat

A man has died in what is thought to be the first fatal case of Alaskapox, a rare infection caused by a virus in the same broad group as smallpox and mpox.

However, the state's latest case is the first to take place outside the Fairbanks area, in a coastal region called the Kenai Peninsula, and it's the first known case to lead to hospitalization and death. The Kenai Peninsula resident who caught Alaskapox lived alone in a forested area and had not traveled prior to developing symptoms in mid-September 2023. However, he was caring for a stray cat that"regularly hunted small mammals and frequently scratched the patient," according to the bulletin.

As weeks passed, the man grew more fatigued and the pain in his armpit increased and spread to his shoulder. He was hospitalized in mid-November due to presumed cellulitis — a serious bacterial infection — that was impeding the range of motion in his arm.

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