2024-02-21 17:03:29
After Monkeypox, Alaskapox? Known as “Alaskan smallpox” and first reported in 2015 in Fairbanks, Alaska, this virus caused the first death in the country in late January. According to a press release from the American state health authorities, the man was immunocompromised and being treated for cancer. “This is the first case of serious Alaskapox infection leading to hospitalization and death,” specifies the epidemiological bulletin of February 9. The patient’s immunosuppression likely contributed to the severity of the illness. »
Like Monkeypox, this virus is part of the orthopoxvirus family and is transmissible through mammals. But if the WHO fears an international spread of monkeypox, we are far from it with Alaskapox. In nine years, the country’s authorities have reported only seven cases. With this first death, however, should we be worried? Is there a risk of spread to Europe? We take stock.
What are its symptoms?
As with Monkeypox, the main symptoms consist of a rash, in the form of bumps or pustules, and an enlarged lymph node. Joint and muscle pain have also been reported. “Many patients with Alaskapox initially thought they had a spider or insect bite,” Alaskan health authorities explain in a press release.
Symptoms common to several pathologies. “It looks a lot like cat scratch disease or even anthrax,” says Benjamin Davido, infectious disease doctor at the Raymond Poincaré Hospital in Garches. It can therefore be difficult to make a diagnosis. » Until last December, all patients presented with benign illnesses that resolved on their own following a few weeks, according to Alaskan authorities. But the man who died at the end of January and who contracted the virus in November presented more serious symptoms, including respiratory failure.
How is it transmitted?
Alaska smallpox is believed to be transmitted, for the moment, only through mammals. Through two rounds of testing conducted in 2020 and 2021, the Alaska Division of Public Health confirms the presence of Alaskapox virus in two species: red-backed voles and shrews. In total, four species would be affected.
The virus can thus be transmitted to humans via domestic animals that have themselves been in contact with contaminated small mammals. The man who died at the end of January resided in the forested area of the Kenai Peninsula, in the south of the country. According to authorities, he said he regularly took care of a stray cat at his home. He had also been scratched by the animal several times.
“For the moment, cases remain exceptional because the virus is not transmitted between humans,” analyzes Benjamin Davido. Although human-to-human transmission of Alaska smallpox has not yet been observed, some orthopoxviruses can spread through direct contact with lesions. This is particularly the case with Monkeypox. Alaska health authorities therefore advise, in a press release, people with skin lesions potentially caused by Alaskapox to “keep the affected area covered with a bandage and avoid sharing bedding or other linens that have entered in contact with the lesion.
Is there a risk of spread to Europe?
While people residing in Alaska are urged to exercise caution, no cases have yet been reported in Europe. At this stage, there is therefore little fear to be had on this side of the Atlantic. “I am all the less worried because Alaska is one of the least populated states in the United States, a quasi-island area with a very particular ecosystem,” adds the infectious disease doctor.
The specialist, however, wonders regarding the respiratory form of the deceased patient. “Without falling into catastrophism, it’s intriguing. Could this respiratory form cause droplet transmission of the virus and therefore be transmitted from man to man? This is the whole question that will have to be answered. »
Because the situation has already occurred with Monkeypox, a virus known since the 1980s but whose form has recently mutated and which has gradually become transmissible from man to man. “But, in the case of Alaskapox, if there had been secondary cases, in the entourage for example, we would have seen them since November,” reassures the doctor. There is therefore no reason to panic, especially since we are in a category of viruses that we know. » So don’t panic. At least for now.
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