Falun resident Åza Karlsson Mainell, 49, was infected by her cat Boris.
At first she thought it was a pimple.
But there was something much worse.
At the beginning of September, Åza’s cat Boris started behaving strangely. He came home with sores and lumps on his body.
After a week, Boris had become so ill that he had to be euthanized.
The day after the euthanasia, something that looked like a pimple appeared on Åza’s chin and it started to hurt the lymph nodes. When she sought care, she was told it was a cold virus.
But soon the lymph nodes felt like hard balls and when the thermometer showed 39.3 degrees, she had to go to the emergency room.
– After that, it just escalated, she says.
Wounds that grew
The smallpox began to appear on the chin and in the ear, and the corner of the mouth began to hang down. And the wounds just grew and grew. They were as big as five-crowns, grew in height, and became black in color.
– It hurt, I was sore, it stung and it burned, she says.
For the pain, she received Alvedon.
At first, none of the doctors knew what it was about.
– It was as if no one had an answer. I would have liked someone to just say that the course is like this and that in weeks two and three it will escalate. But I kind of had to google everything.
Then it turned out that she had contracted the infectious disease cowpox.
Today, two months later, Åza is still not recovered. She was on sick leave for almost a whole month from her job at Falu municipality.
Now she is back. And take it one day at a time.
– I’m not the kind of person who wants to stay at home. I’ve been at work and had like big white compresses all over my chin, she says.
Want to warn others
Now a pit, which looks like a small crater, is healing.
– Where the crusts or wounds have been, I am completely red. So it’s still inflamed. I am still very swollen under my chin. So the lymph nodes are still rock hard there.
Åza Karlsson Mainell is the first in Dalarna to be affected by cowpox, which SVT was the first to report.
She wants to tell about the virus to warn others.
The mistake she made was not washing her hands after tending to the wounded Boris.
– Perhaps you can pay more attention to if the cat has any wounds on its face or paws or if it is a cat that brings home a lot of mice. You also have to be careful yourself with washing your hands and things like that. Like I wasn’t.
The virus from rodents
The specialist doctor in clinical microbiology Marc Westerholt states that there are only twelve known cases of cowpox in Sweden. Åza’s case will be the thirteenth. The virus mainly occurs in rodents, but can spread to outdoor cats and then on to humans through close contact.
– The infection often occurs in already damaged skin, which makes it easier for the virus to enter, says Marc Westerholt.
The first symptoms appear as redness, followed by a blister that later develops into a black scab.
– It is a very painful infection. You often see a clear swelling and fluid accumulation in the area, he says.
There is currently no specific cure, and even though the disease is uncommon, it is likely to be underdiagnosed. However, the infection usually heals on its own after three weeks, but can leave clear scars behind.
– In some cases, cosmetic or reconstructive surgery may even become relevant afterwards, says the doctor.
