Six Died And 12 Other Sick In New Jersey After A Severe Viral Outbreak
- Six children have been dead after a viral outbreak in New Jersey.
- 12 more children are known to be sick severely and have been treated in a nearby hospital.
- 18 cases of adenovirus were reported in the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
Six children died and 12 others are sick after a severe viral outbreak at a rehabilitation center in New Jersey.
The State Department of Health confirmed that 18 cases of adenovirus were reported at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, Pa s saic County.
The department released a statement saying,
This strain has been particularly a s sociated with disease in communal living facilities. The combination of a worse strain of adenovirus together with a fragile population has led to a more severe outbreak.
"Adenovirus is a very contagious virus," said Dr. Sejal Bhavsar from Hackensack University Medical Center told.
He added,
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 pa s sed 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.
Adenovirus causes mild illnesses, but as the outbreak is particularly affecting medically fragile children, the condition is severe, said the health department. The conditions of the 12 ill people are still unknown and the facility has been ordered to not admit any new patients until the outbreak ends.
The Wanaque Center administrator Rowena Bautista said the investigation is being carried out in a statement that further said:
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 Pa s saic County Department of Health, The Communicable Disease Service and the Centers for Disease Control.
The statement further said:
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.
The facility also said that it immediately informed the appropriate government agencies when the virus was initially identified in the children.
