6 dead children, 12 patients in a viral epidemic at the N.J.

A serious viral outbreak in a rehab center for "medically fragile children" in New Jersey has left six people dead and 12 others sick, the state health department said Tuesday.

There have been 18 cases of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 50 km northwest of New York, said the New Jersey Department of Health in a statement.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated in an e-mail that they were providing technical badistance to the state. In the past 10 years, there have been reports of serious illness and death due to the type of infection in this facility in the United States, said CDC spokeswoman Kate Fowlie in an email. without specifying the number of deaths.

The strain that afflicts children is usually badociated with an acute respiratory illness, according to the CDC, which on its website asks health workers to report unusual clusters to state or local health departments.

The health department did not report the age of the victims nor discuss the severity of the illness in the other twelve cases.

The six deaths occurred this month, according to health department spokeswoman Donna Leusner.

The facility was instructed not to admit new patients until the end of the outbreak and the Department of Health said the number of new cases appeared to be decreasing.

Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that these types of deaths are not common, but they are known to occur.

"Here, I think you have that kind of nasty combination of very fragile children and this particularly aggressive virus," he said.

The strain of the New Jersey epidemic is the 7th and affects "medically fragile" children with a severely compromised immune system, according to the Department of Health. He has been badociated with community life and may be more serious

A scientific document cited by the CDC reported that a 1998 type 7 adenovirus outbreak in a long-term care facility for children in Chicago had claimed the lives of eight patients. The 2001 document indicated that civilian epidemics of type 7 infection were not reported frequently due to lack of laboratory facilities and that the total impact on hospitals and long-term care facilities was likely underestimated.

In New Jersey, a team was in the center Tuesday and Sunday and discovered "minor deficiencies in handwashing," said the Ministry of Health.

"The Ministry of Health continues to work closely with the facility on infection control issues," the department said in a statement.

The center helps educate "medically fragile children," according to its website. Messages left in the center were not returned.

Governor Phil Murphy stated in a statement that he was "torn apart" by the deaths and that he had been informed by the health commissioner, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, who had told him that the department was on the spot and was trying to prevent the spread of the virus. further.

"I am confident that the measures taken by local and state authorities will reduce the impact on all who remain in the institution, including patients and employees," said Mr. Murphy.

Adenoviruses often cause benign diseases, especially in young children, but people with weakened immune systems are at risk of becoming seriously ill, according to the CDC.