What is Alaskapox? Symptoms to know after death brings attention to virus

News that an elderly man in Alaska has died from Alaskapox — the first known fatality, according to state health officials — has brought newfound attention to the recently discovered virus.

The man, who lived in the remote Kenai Peninsula and had a suppressed immune system due to cancer treatments, was hospitalized in November and died in late January, according to a bulletin released Friday by Alaska public health officials.

Alaskapox, also known as AKPV, is part of a group of viruses called orthopoxviruses, which infect mammals and cause skin lesions, according to the Alaska Department of Health.