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An eleventh child died of an adenovirus outbreak in a New Jersey health facility and returned 23 others, health officials said Friday.
The child resided at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 km west of Manhattan, where a new case of adenovirus was confirmed on Thursday night, the New York Department of Health said. Jersey.
All children associated with the outbreak in the facility have a severely compromised immune system and other serious medical problems, making them more vulnerable to infection. They became ill between September 26 and November 12. A staff member was also infected but was cured, officials said.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Police cars are parked near the entrance of the Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Haskell, New Jersey.
"The grief caused by the loss of a child is overwhelming and we express our deepest condolences to this family and to all the families who have suffered these terrible losses," said Dr Shereef Elnahal, Commissioner for Health. health.
One of the reasons for the spread of the virus in the facility was a lack of space to separate people with symptoms from those who did not, said Elnahal.
"Until this week, it was not possible to completely separate these patients," said Elnahal at a press conference. "But now, because of the declining census in the institution, that's the case."
Health officials have ordered that the facility not receive new admissions and that all patients be separated by Wednesday.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Dozens of children have been made sick by an epidemic of adenovirus in the facility.
The strain of adenovirus, type 7, most often causes respiratory disease and is not unusual in community settings such as retirement homes and military bases. A vaccine is available for the strain, although children at the Haskell Medical Center have been unable to receive it because of the weakness of their immune system, the Ministry of Health said.
Two to 14 days after exposure to the virus are needed for the symptoms to appear. The outbreak will be declared over if no new infections are confirmed after four weeks, officials said.
The outbreak was first reported to the Ministry of Health on October 9th. At the end of last month, public health officials inspected the facility and determined that there were deficiencies, but none of them reported poor quality care.
"Every year in the state, there are hundreds of outbreaks in health facilities," said Elnahal in a press release following the inspection. "Epidemics in institutions are not always preventable, but best practices can be used to minimize the risk of emergence among New Jersey's most vulnerable patients."
The New Jersey Senate plans to hold a hearing in the coming weeks to examine the spread of the epidemic in the facility. State Senator Joseph Vitale (D), who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Social Services and Seniors, expressed concerns not only about the facilities but also the response from the Senate. State, reported NJ.com.
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