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Elderly Alaska man is first reported person to die of recently discovered Alaskapox virus (www.seattletimes.com)
submitted 9 months ago by GlitzyArmrest@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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The man was undergoing cancer treatment and had a suppressed immune system because of the drugs, which may have contributed to the severity of his illness, the bulletin said. It described him as elderly but didn’t provide his age.

Alaskapox, also known as AKPV, is related to smallpox, cowpox and mpox, health officials said. Symptoms can include a rash, swollen lymph nodes and joint or muscle pain.

Only six other cases of the virus have been reported to Alaska health officials since the first one in 2015. All involved people were living in the Fairbanks area, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) from the Kenai Peninsula, health officials said.

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[-] Norgur@kbin.social 46 points 9 months ago

This has all the hallmarks of yet another panic-bait-article... One sentence in the whole article renders it completely and utterly irrelevant. About the other cases, the article itself says:

All had mild cases and recovered without being hospitalized.

So all that's in this "news report" is that there are diseases that affect animals but not humans which can on occasion jump to humans but usually are pretty harmless then because they are equipped to deal with a cat's immune system, but not with a human immune system. This becomes irrelevant once said human immune system isn't working right.

This is not "breaking news". There is a loooong and ever changing list of pathogens in exactly this situation and there always will be.

[-] Kalkaline@leminal.space 14 points 9 months ago

Anyone who's played Plague Inc knows you can't make your virus too deadly too quickly or it will burn itself out. Mild symptoms allows it to become a pandemic and then endemic.

[-] Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

There is a more complete article in one of the science subs. I'm sorry I can't find it right now, I believe it is in the last 24 hours or so.

Your second paragraph sums up what I remember from it though.

ETA: this post in c/publichealth https://lemmy.nz/post/6766151

[-] sugarfree@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

Aren't we not supposed to name viruses after their place of origin?

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 8 points 9 months ago

Yeah...

[-] tsonfeir@lemm.ee 16 points 9 months ago

Nothing could ever happen because of ice melting.

[-] Norgur@kbin.social 2 points 9 months ago

There is nothing at all suggesting that this virus is some frozen zombie virus the panic-mills at sciency bullshit outlets want you to fear. Nothing at all. Orthopox are one of many strands of viruses that sweep back and forth our globe with varying target species and varying severity. Just like influenza, corona, rhino, etc.

[-] middlemanSI@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

At least not this fiscal year...no worries

[-] mars296@kbin.social 14 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The man said he had cared for a stray cat at his home, the bulletin said.

The cat tested negative for the virus but it “regularly hunted small mammals and frequently scratched the patient,” the bulletin said.

If a cat was frequently scratching me, I might just leave it alone. Getting scratched by stray cats is a bad idea.

[-] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Where's Ted Nugent when you need him

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

In a "news" studio screaming bigotry about democrats and minorities, probably 🤷

[-] Kalkaline@leminal.space 4 points 9 months ago

That or shitting his pants to avoid being drafted.

[-] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

Why not both?

[-] moody@lemmings.world 3 points 9 months ago

Seriously though, cat scratch fever is a real thing. Cat scratches can be nasty and should be cleaned immediately. They have a pretty high risk of infection.

[-] muntedcrocodile@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Is this one of those viruses that was supposed to be perminantly frozen in perma frost?

[-] pan_troglodytes@programming.dev 1 points 9 months ago

mpox? wtf is that?

[-] slartibartfast@lemm.ee -4 points 9 months ago

Well that's terrifying

[-] snooggums@kbin.social 7 points 9 months ago

Someone with a compromised immune system dying of a disease that has mild symptoms in the five other people who have ever been diagnosed with the disease is the opposite of terrifying.

this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2024
141 points (92.7% liked)

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