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.
Many viruses in this group, known as orthopoxviruses, infect both animals and humans, including the camelpox, cowpox and mpox viruses. The Alaskapox virus was first discovered in 2015 in a person in Fairbanks, Alaska, but based on studies conducted in the state's Fairbanks North Star Borough, the virus is thought to primarily infect small mammals, such as red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus) and shrews.
