7 children died in a virus outbreak in New Jersey facilities

Seven children died of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, New Jersey. total compliance, "according to the Ministry of Health.

The moment of death is not clear. On October 9, the Ministry of Health was informed that the respiratory center was suffering from a respiratory illness and Wanaque sent the children's parents of the center letters about the infection on October 19, according to Nicole Kirgan from the New Jersey Department of Health.

Tuesday, New Jersey The Department of Health announced the death of six pediatric residents in the center and the infection of 12 other residents. On Wednesday, the ministry announced an additional death in pediatrics.

The New Jersey Department of Health said it was an ongoing investigation into an outbreak and workers were at the facility on Tuesday. On Sunday, a factory team discovered minor deficiencies in handwashing. " The ministry continues to work closely with the center to ensure that all infection control measures are followed," Wanaque said in a statement released on Wednesday.

The exact ages of children are not respected. released to protect the privacy of patients, Nicole Kirgan, a health department spokeswoman, said the age ranges of the deceased children were "from toddler to young adults – but that most have less of 18 years old.

Adenoviruses can cause serious illness, although severe illness is less common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a higher risk of developing a serious illness resulting from adenovirus infection in people whose immune systems are weakened or in whom a respiratory or cardiac disease is already present.

This epidemic, caused by an adenovirus type 7 frail children whose immune system is severely compromised. The strain has been particularly badociated with the disease in community living conditions and may be more serious, "according to the statement from the Ministry of Health.

In a statement released Tuesday, the center said it "had immediately informed all relevant government agencies of the beginning of the virus. identified. "

" The Wanaque Center continues to cooperate fully with these agencies and has sought their doctor's advice regarding the virus, "said the center. "As a result, facility staff diligently applied all available infection prevention and control measures to protect the health and safety of Wanaque Center residents."

Institutional nurses had previously reported a shortage of nurses and supplies, according to a statement from the union representing nurses that went online Tuesday. Health professionals and related employees (HPAE) said that shortages may have resulted in "poor infection control practices."

The union reported that it represented the 70 nurses working at the Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

review conducted by the Government Centers Medicare and Medicaid Government Services, the Wanaque Center has been rated above the average in terms of overall quality, but a lower health inspection index to the average. According to an inspection conducted in August, CMS stated that "it was determined that the facility had failed to provide a clean and welcoming physical environment to their residents. "

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"Most of the time, adenoviruses produce a flu-like illness with cough and runny nose and a feeling of coldness, but you feel better," says Dr. William Schaffner, a specialist in infectious diseases at the University. Vanderbilt. , previously told CNN. "But they can also cause conjunctivitis and, especially in children, diarrhea."

In rare cases, in people with weakened immune systems, viruses can cause pneumonia or inflammation of the brain and surrounding tissues. In extremely unusual cases, an adenovirus infection can cause death

That said, most adenovirus infections are benign, with symptoms that typically last about 10 days, according to the CDC. And for most patients, home remedies and over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms will be the only treatment needed.

Adenoviruses, unlike influenza, are not seasonal and can cause illness throughout the year. And even if there is a vaccine against adenovirus, it is only available for military recruits.

The viruses themselves are also "resistant to many common disinfectants and can remain infectious for long periods of time on surfaces and medical devices," says the CDC. Adenoviruses tend to spread through coughing and sneezing, direct contact with an infected person or contact with objects and surfaces, such as doorknobs and switches, where adenoviruses can live and remain infectious for days or weeks.

Adenoviruses can "stay". According to Dr. Alex Valsamakis, director of clinical virology and molecular microbiology and professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, "stable at room temperature for weeks" on impure surfaces.

She described this family of viruses as "environmentally friendly."

"Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face," she previously told CNN. "It's the easiest way to avoid inadvertently transporting something from your fingers into your nose or mouth."

Adenovirus infections "typically occur sporadically – in this case, there is a case -, epidemics are therefore quite rare, "said Schaffner.

Between 2003 and 2016, the two most commonly reported adenovirus types in the United States were types 2 and 3, although four additional types – 1, 4, 7 and 14 – also caused the disease, according to a 2017 National Center report for CDC immunization and respiratory diseases.These six types accounted for 85, 5% of the 1,497 laboratory-confirmed samples reported at the

It is thought that this small number of cases is an underrepresentation of the actual number of cases, since most people who become sick do not go to a doctor or their doctors. do not search for this virus.

And adenoviruses are still difficult to diagnose because they are not usually included in a panel of tests used to identify specific viruses, according to Schaffner. He said that the situation was evolving and that he thought that the number of cases would increase for this reason.

Still, Schaffner does not think people need to worry about adenoviruses. "They are mainly responsible for embarrbading minor infections, transmitted from children to adults," he said.

"But they are not as serious as the flu. "