DOH takes enforcement action against Wanaque Center

The New Jersey Department of Health will require the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation to prohibit all new admissions and hire a certified Infection Control Practioner and the services of a department-approved physician or physician practice with board certification in infectious disease.

This latest decision comes in the wake of serious infection control deficiencies cited in ongoing inspections at the facility.

The DOH said curtailment of admissions to the pediatric respiratory unit will take effect immediately and will remain in place until Wanaque demonstrates it is able to fully comply with directives provided by the department’s Communicable Disease Service on separating medically fragile residents without symptoms in the pediatric respiratory unit — where the adenovirus outbreak has spread — from those who have the virus, including grouping residents by laboratory testing status and symptoms experienced by residents. 

“This enforcement action will require the facility to be able to safely separate medically fragile children before they can accept any new admissions to the respiratory unit,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal in a statement. “The fact that we are continuing to see new, confirmed cases at this point, despite all efforts toward strict adherence to protocols, has made the facility’s layout limitations clear. This action is required to keep patients safer in the future.”

To date, there have been 33 pediatric cases of adenovirus associated with this outbreak, including 10 deaths of severely ill children. One staff person at the facility also was confirmed with adenovirus but has since recovered.

The strain of adenovirus that has sickened so many children at Wanaque is a type that is common to communal settings such as nursing homes and military bases. It is known to cause severe illness. Immune-compromised children are not eligible for the vaccine that was developed for this strain of the virus.