Alaska

Alaskapox: First death reported from smallpox-related virus found in Alaska

Published

2 years ago

February 18, 2024

Alaskapox: First death reported from smallpox-related virus found in Alaska

The first death by the virus called Alaskapox, related to human smallpox and monkey smallpox, was recorded in Alaska in January 2024.

Recently, the first death of an elderly man from a virus related to smallpox was reported, which has been called Alaska smallpox, or Alaskapox (AKPV).

Although the virus is being mentioned as Alaskanpox or Alaskapox, it is important to avoid this type of mention in order not to generate discrimination against a locality and/or a population because of the circulation of a pathogen.

The victim was being treated for cancer and, because of this, she had immunosuppression, which may be related to the worsening of the disease, according to The Guardian.

The virus

Belonging to the genus Orthopoxvirus, which also includes human smallpox (smallpox), mpox (monkeypox) and bovine smallpox (cowpox), AKPV was initially identified in 2015, in Fairbanks, in the state of Alaska (USA).

According to the Alaska Department of Health, six other cases have been recorded in the state, since then, five of them in Fairbanks and one in the Kenai Peninsula. Symptoms of the disease include:

Skin lesions (swelling or pustules);
Swollen lymph nodes (“tongues“);
Joint and/or muscle pain;

Also, immunocompromised or immunosuppressed people may have risks for the serious disease.

Transmission

The AKPV circulates in small mammals, and sampling from some regions of Fairbanks reveal that rats and some species of shrews can transmit it. However, domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, can also be susceptible and contribute to the spread of the virus.

To date, no transmission between humans of the Alaskapox virus has been documented – Alaska Department of Health

Although there is no record of the transmission between humans of AKPV, from the knowledge of other Poxviruses, such as human smallpox and mpox, it is possible that contact with infected skin lesions may bring risks.

Although we have only the record of six cases, it is likely that more infections may have occurred and have been underreported, according to the Alaska Department of Health, due to the similarity of symptoms with other diseases.

The case

It was reported that the victim had contact with a stray cat, who “regularly hunted small mammals and often scratched the patient”.

It was documented in the bulletin “a notable scratch near the armpit region, where the first symptom – a red lesion – was observed”

Although the animal tested negative at the time of the analysis, it is possible that it may have transmitted the virus, according to the epidemiological bulletin.

Risk analysis

Experts argue, in a recent publication, that this is the first detected case of AKPV outside the interior region of Alaska (Fairbanks), which may suggest a greater geographical spread of the virus in small mammals than previously thought.

However, we still have few cases of the disease, and the risk of global spread still seems to be low, but it serves as a warning and awareness so that health professionals and the local population can be aware of signs and symptoms compatible with the disease, in addition to a screening with testing and surveillance for the virus.

Important recommendations

Since the documented transmission is zoonotic, that is, from the contagion by animals (such as small mammals, for example), it is important that the population avoids this type of exposure.

Inadequate, proper hand hygiene, avoiding sharing clothes that may be contaminated with the secretions of injuries, can be useful to prevent the transmission of several poxviruses.

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Alaska

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

Published

3 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to rule in favor of the Republican National Committee that all ballots must be received on Election Day to be counted.

In a case argued Monday, the RNC challenges a Mississipi law that allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to arrive up to five days later.

Alaska accepts postmarked ballots that arrive up to 10 days after Election Day – 15 days if mailed from overseas. And, for Alaska, the implications of the Supreme Court ruling could extend beyond mailed ballots.

The RNC case could be consequential for the midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. While people of both parties vote by mail, more permissive rules for it are perceived to help Democrats, especially since President Trump rails against the practice.

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that counting ballots that arrive late violates the federal law that sets the Tuesday following the first Monday of November as Election Day for the whole country.

“All ballots have to be received and the ballot box has to close on Election Day,” he said.

In Alaska’s last general election, more than 50,000 ballots arrived by mail. The Division of Elections couldn’t immediately say how many of those arrived in the 10 days after Election Day but it appears to be many thousand.

Sometimes, even Alaska ballots cast in person on Election Day aren’t received the same day. The village of Atqasuk , on the North Slope, tried to phone in its 2024 election results but couldn’t get through to the Division of Elections. The mailed ballots arrived nine days later.

Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox cited the Atqasuk episode in a friend-of-court brief he filed in the Mississippi case.

“Alaska asks this Court to consider how its rule here will apply in all States—including Alaska, where ‘receiving’ a ballot isn’t always as simple as walking to a precinct or driving a few hours to pick up a ballot box,” he wrote.

Pat Redmond, co-president of the Alaska League of Women Voters, said Alaska has a secure process for mailed ballots. She believes the current deadline is fair and allows remote places necessary time to deliver their ballots.

“Not every place has electronic transmission,” said Redmond, who has also served as an election worker. If all ballots have to be in on Election Day “then those people, their ballots don’t count, and that’s disenfranchising people.”

Attorney Scott Stewart, defending Mississippi’s ballot deadline, told the justices that it’s wrong for the Trump administration to suggest that late-arriving ballots are subject to fraud.

“Obviously, they’ve sounded the anti-fraud theme,” Stewart said. “They haven’t cited a single example of fraud from post-Election Day ballot receipts.”

Late-counted ballots have swung several statewide contests in Alaska.

•The 2020 ballot measure creating Alaska’s ranked choice voting system and open primaries was losing on election night but ultimately won.

•Post-Election Day counts gave Sen. Lisa Murkowski the lead over challenger Kelly Tshibaka in 2022, and Murkowski’s lead grew further after second- and third-choice votes were tallied.

•In 2024, a measure to repeal ranked choice voting was ahead on election night but narrowly lost in later counts.

Late-counted ballots typically include an unknown number of ballots that arrived before Election Day, too. Still, despite no evidence of wrongdoing, supporters of the losing campaign have sometimes alleged fraud.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the Mississippi case this summer. An attorney for the Republican National Committee told the justices a June ruling would allow states to change their ballot rules in time for the November election.

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Alaska

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

Published

15 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (InvestigateTV) — Staff at the Alaska Zoo performed a root canal on one of its polar bears after the bear broke a canine tooth.

Kova, 4, shares an enclosure with another polar bear named Cranbeary. The two have toys, treats and a large pool where Kova likes to take her morning swim.

Curator Sam Lavin noticed something was wrong when Kova’s behavior changed.

“Kova is a very interactive and busy bear and she just seemed kind of off. She was pawing at her mouth a little bit,” Lavin said.

Lavin suspected a tooth issue and asked Kova to open her mouth for a closer look.

“We could see that she had broken one of her canines and there’s any number of ways she could have done that,” Lavin said.

An X-ray confirmed the diagnosis. Zoo staff consulted with a veterinary specialist outside Alaska, sent the X-rays and received advice on how to proceed.

“We went with a local doctor to do the work,” Lavin said.

An endodontist who normally operates on humans was part of the large team that performed the root canal on the fully sedated 450-pound bear.

“Everybody knew ahead of time what their role was and what to do and where to be and it was so well planned out and everybody worked so well together,” Lavin said.

The procedure went smoothly.

“She feels so much better,” Lavin said.

The zoo said Kova quickly recovered and is back with her playmate Cranbeary.