Adenovirus kills seventh child in New Jersey long term care facility

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Health announced the death of six patients at Haskell's Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the death of 12 other people from the adenovirus virus, a common virus that usually causes illness. Benign respiratory system in healthy people. The seventh death took place on Tuesday night.

At a press conference held Wednesday night in a retirement home, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said many questions remained unanswered about how the outbreak had occurred and about how the institution communicated this information to health officials, patients' parents and staff.

The installation of 227 beds, located about 25 km northwest of New York, has been cited for several deficiencies that could lead to the spread of infection, according to the inspection reports. the state of New Jersey.

► 23rd of October: 6 children die of an adenovirus in a New Jersey long term care facility
► 18th of October: What parents should know about the polio-like paralyzing disease epidemic
► 12th of October: More and more children are not getting vaccinations from their doctors, says the CDC

"Facility staff diligently applied all available infection prevention and control measures" to protect the health and safety of residents, said Rowena Bautista, Center Administrator.

Two unions representing nurses and other health workers in a for-profit private center have criticized leaders and owners for poor working conditions.

"Since the new for-profit center took control of the Wanaque Center in 2014, workers have expressed serious concerns about staff deterioration, lack of adequate supplies, and severe restrictions on labor standards," he said. Ron McCalla, Vice President of Service Employees International. Local 1199 of the union represents 136 workers at the facility.

The health center staff addressed questions to Braithwaite Communications, a Philadelphia-based marketing agency whose services include crisis communication. The company has not responded to calls or e-mails.

"When there are so many deaths in such a short time, infection control protocols are potentially failing," said Sen. Joseph Vitale, a Democrat from Woodbridge, chair of the Senate Health Committee.

According to four annual reports from 2015 to 2018, the long-term care center that also serves severely disabled and debilitated patients of other ages has sometimes failed to properly supervise those who care for it and to handle medical equipment in a hygienic manner.

"This deadly viral epidemic was clearly a preventable tragedy, and state officials must take immediate steps to ensure justice for families forced to count on their parents' worst nightmares, the loss of one's life." child, "said the state. Gerry Cardinale, Holly Schepisi, Member of Parliament, and Robert Auth, Member of the Assembly, Republicans who represent the region where the facility is located.

The Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is introduced on October 21, 2018 and is located in Haskell, New Jersey. (Photo: Kevin R. Wexler, The (File from Bergen County, N.J.))

The state health inspection reports detail cases of nurses who were not alerted when severely debilitated patients were in need: a patient broke his leg while showering; another had trouble emptying his lungs.

The management of the Wanaque Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the inspection reports.

Until the end of the epidemic, the long-term care center does not have the right to admit new patients, state officials said.

Between January 1, 2015 and October 1, 2018, it was inspected three times as a result of complaints, according to the website of the state's Department of Health. But no shortcomings were found as a result of these complaints.

The reports of August 2018 and May 2017, the most recent two, reported on these individual issues at the time of the inspectors' visit:

• a strong smell of mold in a sleeping area of ​​the patient. The facility "has failed to provide a clean and comfortable physical environment for its residents," inspectors said.

• Urine flows into a urinal. A pierced urine drainage bag has not been replaced, which could lead to infection in the patient.

• Incorrect handling of a pill. A nurse who chose medications on the floor did not wash her hands until she was ready to administer more medications.

• Poorly cleaned syringes. Nurses were found to clean, dry and store syringes used to administer oral medications.

• Badly cleaned trays. A nurse did not disinfect the drug trays between sessions with patients.

• A utensil left in the can. A spoon was left in the amino acid powder, potentially exposing the bulk receptacle to bacteria.

• Tubes exposed to germs. The tubing of an oxygen tank that enters the nose of a patient was left out of the patient on dialysis. It should have been placed in a plastic bag.

• Uncleaned containers. A nurse did not properly clean the exterior of the germicide and hand sanitizer bottles after removing the patient's garbage. The nurse was going to put them on a treatment cart before the inspector inquired.

Over the past two years, many staff members have not responded adequately to the needs of patients, many of whom are so weak that they can no longer communicate, according to reports.

Department of Health investigators returned to the facility after a visit on Sunday, where they discovered "mild hand-washing problems."

"We were here for the last time before last weekend, in August, and we had to correct a number of minor and minor deficiencies," said Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Health Commissioner of the World Health Organization. New Jersey, in a new conference Wednesday. "And they submitted a clear correction plan, we accepted this plan and, when we returned here this weekend, we checked each one of them and they had been resolved."

► February 10th: Why are people outside high-risk groups dying of the flu?
► January 29th: Adenovirus: it's like the flu, but the vaccine is reserved for the military

The state will issue a final report on its latest inspection, carried out on October 1, "early enough," said Elnahal.

On October 9, the center was informed of respiratory diseases. Most of the affected patients were under the age of 18, health officials said.