8th Child Dies At Rehab Facility In New Jersey
The New Jersey Department of Health confirmed Friday an eighth child has died, following a month-long adenovirus outbreak at a pediatric rehabilitation center.
The child was not confirmed to have the common infection, and was already suffering from respiratory illness, according to health officials who are awaiting test results.
Seven other children have died, and 16 were successfully treated and cured after contracting adenovirus during their stay at the Wanaque Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center in Haskall, according to the Department of Health.
“To date, confirmed cases became ill between Sept. 26 and Oct. 22,” according to a health department statement.
“The facility has agreed to cease new admissions for the duration of the outbreak,” the department said. “This is an active investigation of an outbreak of adenovirus so it is possible that lab tests will confirm additional cases.”
The children affected were previously described in a health department statement as “medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems.”
A spokesperson for the health department said the outbreak won’t be declared over until the facility is able to go four weeks without any new cases of people being infected.
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The following statement was released by the Department of Health:
“The strain of adenovirus seen in this outbreak is associated with communal living arrangements and known to cause severe illness. The department continues to work very closely with the facility to ensure that all infection control measures are being followed. An outbreak investigation, with assistance from the CDC, is ongoing.”
Although the state became aware of the outbreak back on October 9th and has been working with the CDC, parents of patients reached out to local ABC affiliate WABC to complain about the lack of transparency at the rehabilitation facility.
One parent of a sick child said she first learned about the outbreak on the news and that they were never informed about the severity of the problem by the Wanaque doctors or staff. The mother said one nurse tried to downplay the situation by saying her daughter had a fever and was given medication due to “a little virus going around” similar to the common cold.
Adenoviruses usually cause mild illnesses, but the health department said with the children at the rehab facility having already severely compromised immune systems, the symptoms are much more severe. The virus can survive on plastic and metal surfaces and spread via common personal contact, including hand shakes.
“This strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living facilities,” the department said in a statement. “The combination of a worse strain of adenovirus together with a fragile population has led to a more severe outbreak.”
The center is licensed to care for 92 children and 135 adults, and can care for more than 60 children at any given time who all depend on ventilators to breathe. The facility has been instructed not to admit any new patients until the outbreak ends and the rehab has been cleared for four weeks.
“Adenovirus is very contagious virus,” said Dr. Sejal Bhavsar, of Hackensack University Medical Center. “However, in these situations, they are very contagious in long-term facilities because they are often transported by sneezing and coughing, but also the particles that are passed from sneezing and coughing land on other objects. And other people go and touch it and then touch their mouths without washing their hands. That’s how they can obtain the virus.”
The facility, which houses rehabilitation and pediatric patients, as well as seniors, was cited in 2016 and 2017 for washing deficiencies, failure to disinfect surfaces and syringes properly, the improper storage of syringes, and unsanitary storage of oxygen tank tubing, according to the health department.
An inspection team found minor hand-washing deficiencies on Sunday, and the department is continuing to work closely with the rehab on infection control issues.
“I am heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “I have been briefed by (Health Commissioner) Dr. (Shereef) Elnahal, who has assured me that the Department of Health has recommended vital measures to enhance protections against the further spread of infection and will continue its active on-site surveillance. I am confident that the steps being taken by state and local officials will minimize the impact to all those who remain at the facility, including patients and employees.”
Wanaque Center administrator Rowena Bautista issued the following statement:
“The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has recently experienced some cases of the Adenovirus in its pediatric unit. The facility promptly notified all appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified, including the New Jersey Department of Health, The Passaic County Department of Health, The Communicable Disease Service and the Centers for Disease Control. The Wanaque Center continues to fully cooperate with these agencies and has sought out their medical guidance with respect to the virus. As a result, facility staff have diligently implemented all available infection control and prevention measures in order to protect the health and safety of the Wanaque Center’s residents.”
Friday, Craig J. Coughlin, speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, called on the center “to take immediate appropriate measures to address this tragic situation.”
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