Science
What is Alaskapox? The disease has claimed its first fatality
Public health officials in Alaska have disclosed the first known human death from Alaskapox, a virus typically found in small mammals.
No human-to-human transmission of Alaskapox has been detected so far, and there have been no known cases outside the state for which the virus is named. California health officials confirmed there’ve been no reports of the virus in the state.
The first person known to die from the virus was an elderly man from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula who was undergoing cancer treatment, state health officials said in a bulletin issued late last week.
The man’s symptoms began in mid-September with a painful red lesion near his shoulder that failed to respond to antibiotic treatment. By the time he was hospitalized in November, he was complaining of a burning pain that made it difficult to move his arm. Doctors noted four additional sores on other parts of his body, and sent swabs of the lesions to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing.
The man was taking medications to treat his cancer, and those drugs hobbled his immune system. Despite some positive response to antiviral treatment, his health declined rapidly in the hospital and he died in January.
The man was only the seventh known person to have become infected with the virus since it was first detected in humans in 2015, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Health. He was also the first person to have become ill enough to require hospitalization.
“The patient’s immunocompromised status likely contributed to illness severity,” state health officials said in a statement.
All previous patients complained of swollen lymph nodes and muscle aches that cleared up in a few weeks. The virus also causes one or more red, uncomfortable skin lesions, which several previous patients mistook for spider or insect bites.
Testing in 2020 and 2021 found the virus in several small mammal species in Alaska’s Fairbanks area, particularly shrews and red-backed voles. The man who died in January was the first person outside of the Fairbanks area to have been diagnosed with the virus, a sign that the virus has spread to mammals outside that region, health officials said.
The man lived alone in a forested region and had no known travel or contact with any potentially infected people.
He did care for a stray cat prone to both hunting small mammals and scratching its human caretaker, state officials noted. The cat had clawed the man on the shoulder a month before his symptoms began, close to the site where his first lesion was found. However, officials noted that they couldn’t be sure that was how the man acquired the virus.
“Wild animals can carry germs that can spread to people through direct or indirect contact and make people sick,” a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said in an email. “Even if an animal looks healthy, it can still spread germs that can cause disease. Do not touch or approach wild animals or any animals that you do not know.”
Alaskapox is an orthopoxvirus, the genus of viruses that includes smallpox and Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.
Though no cases of human-to-human transmission of Alaskapox have been reported, Alaska health officials noted that other orthopoxviruses can spread via close contact with an infected person’s lesions. This is how health officials believe Mpox spread during the brief outbreak of 2022 in which a virus previously found in western and central Africa suddenly took off in Europe and the U.S.
Anyone with suspicious lesions who believes they could have the virus should cover the sore with a bandage until they can see a doctor and avoid sharing clothes or bedding with anyone else, Alaska’s Division of Public Health said.
Science
Two LAPD officers injured when patrol car hit by another vehicle
Two Los Angeles police officers were injured early Sunday when their patrol car flipped over after being struck by another vehicle, whose driver was arrested, officials said.
The crash occurred about 2 a.m. at the intersection of Figueroa Street and Rosecrans Avenue in South L.A., the department said.
The driver of the car that hit the officers’ vehicle was a juvenile, who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.
The two officers were taken to a hospital after the crash and have since been released, officials said.
Science
Thousand Oaks nursing home resident arrested on suspicion of killing his roommate
A resident of a Thousand Oaks nursing home has been arrested on suspicion of killing his roommate, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded at 4:40 a.m. Friday to a call from the Silverado memory care facility on Warwick Avenue about a resident who was agitated and had broken a window, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.
The deputies found the resident Thomas Buckley, 58, in a common area of the facility and detained him, authorities said. The nursing home’s staff then checked on his roommate, Michael Patterson, 72. The workers found that Patterson had severe injuries, which appeared to be caused by an assault.
Paramedics were called to the scene and Patterson was pronounced dead a short time later, authorities said.
Investigators said that before deputies arrived, Buckley had assaulted one of the facility’s workers, causing minor injuries.
Patterson’s death is being investigated as a homicide. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death.
Buckley was booked on suspicion of murder, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism, the Sheriff’s Department said. He remains in custody and his bail was set at $2 million. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Ventura County Superior Court.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Det. Gerardo Cruz at (805) 384-4726 or Det. Erik Hernandez at (805) 384-4729.
Science
Bird flu virus found in Los Angeles County wastewater
Los Angeles County health officials said they have detected H5N1 bird flu virus in wastewater collected from the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility in Carson.
The viral “hit” was detected on Oct. 28 by WastewaterSCAN, an infectious disease monitoring network run by researchers at Stanford, Emory University and Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s life sciences organization.
Hits were also seen during the last week in San José, Redwood City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Marina and Turlock.
The Carson plant processes wastewater from roughly 50% of L.A. County’s population, said Annabelle de St. Maurice, the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s director of community outbreak and syndromic surveillance.
Officials say they have not identified the source of the virus, but suggested a few possibilities, including discarded contaminated animal products and infected wild bird droppings. They are also “actively engaging key risk groups,” including dairy and meat-processing sites nearby.
“The likely sources more likely appear to be from animal products, rather than wild birds,” De St. Maurice said.
She said the risk to the public remains low.
H5N1 bird flu has been detected in 203 California dairy herds since August; 17 dairy workers have also been infected. Across the nation, 41 people have been infected — 21 from dairy cows, 19 from poultry and one unknown. The USDA has reported 404 positive dairy herds in 14 states. This number does not include eight herds detected earlier this week in Utah.
It’s also been conclusively detected in a pig from Oregon.
De St. Maurice said the county routinely monitors and tests symptomatic birds, pets and wild mammals.
In addition, she said, the county is working within the community to subtype flu specimens collected in health clinics and hospitals specimens “to see if there are potential H5N1 human cases.”
She noted the county’s public health department is also doing “outreach and education to communities that are at risk,” but said that, so far, there have been no human cases.
De St. Maurice said it was this kind of work — subtyping flu specimens — that enabled Missouri health officials to identify an H5N1 human case that had no reported dairy or poultry contact. The source of that person’s infection has still not been determined.
The wastewater findings come as the virus spreads in California’s dairy cows — which now make up more than half the nation’s reported cattle infections — and as fall migration of wild birds from the Arctic moves south along the Pacific Flyway.
There are now two strains of H5N1 bird flu circulating in California. The form circulating in dairy cows is known by scientists as B3.13. A new wild bird version, which has emerged only recently, is known as D1.1 or D1.2.
Genetic sequencing of the H5 virus found in Los Angeles County wastewater has not been conducted. According to De St. Maurice, the way the samples are captured and identified does not allow for sequencing.
H5 viruses are of bird origin; they are not human viruses.
In a statement, officials said people could reduce their risk of infection by avoiding raw milk, raw cheese and undercooked meats. Pasteurization and adequate cooking inactivates the virus.
They also recommend that people avoid unprotected contact with sick or dead animals, and avoid materials contaminated with bird feces. Pets can also be infected in these ways. And officials request that people report sick or dead birds to local animal control agencies.
They also recommend that people get the annual flu shot. Though the seasonal flu vaccination won’t prevent bird flu infection, it reduces the chances for the bird flu to combine with a human flu — potentially creating a new virus that could spread more easily among people.
-
Health1 week ago
New cervical cancer treatment approach could reduce risk of death by 40%, trial results show
-
Sports1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam gives Dodgers Game 1 World Series win vs. Yankees
-
News1 week ago
Sikh separatist, targeted once for assassination, says India still trying to kill him
-
Culture1 week ago
Freddie Freeman wallops his way into World Series history with walk-off slam that’ll float forever
-
Technology1 week ago
When a Facebook friend request turns into a hacker’s trap
-
Business3 days ago
Carol Lombardini, studio negotiator during Hollywood strikes, to step down
-
Health4 days ago
Just Walking Can Help You Lose Weight: Try These Simple Fat-Burning Tips!
-
Business2 days ago
Hall of Fame won't get Freddie Freeman's grand slam ball, but Dodgers donate World Series memorabilia