19 Now Sickened By Virus At NJ Facility

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A 19th case of adenovirus has been confirmed at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, the state Department of Health announced Thursday.

The case involved a resident who had already been ill, officials said in a press release. The person became ill before Oct. 22, which is the most recent date of illness onset, officials said. A lab test was conducted and confirmed the case.

The Department of Health did not say if the new case involves a child. The patient's exact age was not provided.

Seven children have died of the anenovirus since 19 residents became ill between Sept. 26 and Oct. 22, officials said.

The facility has agreed to not admit new patients until the outbreak is over.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control is assisting state officials and conducting lab tests related to the outbreak.

Those who have gotten sick are "medically fragile" with "compromised immune systems," officials said.

All of those infected were located in the respiratory ward of the facility and are connected to ventilators to help them breathe, officials previously said. The seventh child died Monday night.

How the virus spread through the center is unknown.

Many of the patients have lived at the facility "all or most of their lives" because of medical conditions the children have, state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in a press conference Wednesday.

There is "no immediate threat to the public" regarding the virus spreading to the rest of the populace, said Governor Phil Murphy.

The Department of Health was notified of the virus on Oct. 9. The department needs four weeks without an additional case reported in order for the outbreak to be considered over. The state began monitoring the situation Oct. 10. State health officials conducted a surprise inspection at the facility last weekend. State personnel will remain at the facility until the outbreak is over.

Adenoviruses are typical a family of viruses that often cause mild illness, particularly in young children. But this particular strain of adenovirus (#7) is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems.

Adenoviruses can cause mild to severe illness, though serious illness is less common. People with weakened immune systems, or existing respiratory or cardiac disease, are at higher risk of developing severe illness from an adenovirus infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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