Alaska Reports First Fatality From Rare Virus Known as Alaskapox

Health officials in Alaska reported the first known fatal case of Alaskapox, a virus that was first identified in 2015, identifying the victim as an elderly man. The man lived in Kenai Peninsula, a large peninsula that juts from the coast of southern Alaska and also is located south of Anchorage. He died in January from the virus, officials said. “This is the first case of severe Alaskapox infection resulting in hospitalization and death,” the health department said in a bulletin released on Feb. 9. They noted that the elderly man had a weakened immune system due to cancer treatment, adding that it likely contributed to the severity of the disease. He died in January after first showing symptoms of the virus in September, the state health department said....