CNN —Health officials in Alaska have identified the first known death linked to a recently discovered virus called Alaskapox. Since its discovery in 2015, seven Alaskapox infections have been reported, according to the state Department of Health. “This is the first case of severe Alaskapox infection resulting in hospitalization and death,” the health department said in a release last week. Still, there is a lot that isn’t known about the virus, McLaughlin said, including how it spreads from animals to humans and how long it has been around. “What has changed is clinician awareness and the general public’s awareness that Alaskapox virus is something that’s a possibility,” McLaughlin said.

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Persons: ”, Joe McLaughlin, McLaughlin, Alaskapox, “, ” McLaughlin, Julia Rogers, ” Rogers, Rogers, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN — Health, of Health, Alaska ., Alaska Department of Health, Epidemic Intelligence, US Centers for Disease Control, Health, The Alaska Department of Health, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: Alaska, Africa, Asia, Europe, Fairbanks, Kenai