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The first fatality from Alaskapox, a type of orthopoxvirus, has been reported on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. State officials released a bulletin Feb. 9 detailing that an elderly man contracted the virus in Sept. 2023, likely from an infected stray cat who scratched him. The man, whose immune system had been suppressed by cancer treatments, first noticed a tender red bump in his underarm. Over the next few weeks, he also experienced fatigue and pain in his arm and shoulder. (Rudy, 2/12)

The Alaskapox virus was first identified in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2015, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Since then, there have been only seven cases reported in the state, according to the state health department. This is the first case of an Alaskapox infection resulting in hospitalization and death ever reported. State public health officials noted the patient was an elderly man who was immunocompromised, putting him at higher risk for severe illness. The virus typically occurs in small animals, commonly identified in voles and shrews, according to the Alaska State Department of Health. There have been no reports of human-to-human spread, according to the state health agency. (Benadjaoud, 2/12)

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday there was a low risk of human-to-human spread after China reported a case involving a person infected with combined H3N2 and H10N5 strains of bird flu. "No new suspected human cases have been detected through the investigation and testing done by authorities," the WHO said in a statement, saying avian flu viruses are not thought to have acquired the capacity for sustained human transmission. "Thus, the likelihood of human-to-human spread is considered low." (2/13)

The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Monday that there is a case of measles in the Twin Cities metro area. The department provided little information on the case, but said the risk to the public is "extremely low." MDH is investigating and will inform anyone who may have been exposed. Measles was officially declared eradicated in the United States more than 20 years ago, but declining vaccination rates are increasing the risk of the spread of the disease. Communities need high vaccination rates to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks, experts say. (Moser, 2/12)

A visitor from outside the country was a confirmed Maricopa County measles carrier, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced Saturday morning. The Maricopa County Public Health Department announced it was investigating this measles case because, as it mentioned in its news release, cases of the highly contagious airborne disease have risen across the U.S. and overseas and leave the unvaccinated at the highest risk of becoming sick if exposed. (Gonzalez, 2/10)

The return of measles is a "canary in the coal mine" for the country's ability to fight the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine expert Paul Offit warned in an interview with Axios. That's among the many consequences of vaccine misinformation and politicization that exploded during the pandemic, Offit writes in a new book out Tuesday, "Tell Me When It's Over: An Insider's Guide to Deciphering COVID Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World." (Reed, 2/12)

Health officials announced Monday that they have identified the source of a potentially deadly disease outbreak in northern Minnesota. Fourteen cases of Legionnaires' disease have been confirmed around the city of Grand Rapids since April 2023, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. ... MDH officials now say the municipal water supply is the source of the outbreak. (Moser, 2/12)

A new study has shown that people vaccinated against Ebola who still developed the disease had a substantially lower risk of dying than people who were not vaccinated, even if they received the vaccine when they were already infected with the virus. (Branswell, 2/12)