What to Know
- A 10th child has died in a viral outbreak at one New Jersey medical facility, the state health department said
- A total of 25 children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Passaic County have been sickened by adenovirus
- A specialized, multi-disciplinary team from NJ's Dept. of Health plans to visit that facility and four other pediatric treatment centers
New Jersey's Department of Health says it is deploying a team of infection control experts and epidemiologists to five pediatric facilities, one of which has seen 10 child deaths reported this month amid a severe viral outbreak.
News broke over the weekend that a 10th child died at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Passaic County, the epicenter of an adenovirus outbreak that has killed and sickened dozens of kids in recent weeks. The latest child to succumb to adenovirus was among the 25 kids health officials have been tracking since the outbreak. Adenovirus is a family of viruses that can otherwise cause mild illness, but this outbreak has been described as "severe."
The state’s Department of Health said it was informed of the outbreak on Oct. 9. State health officials later found handwashing discrepancies. The Wanaque center has been told not to admit any new patients until the outbreak ends and they are in full compliance. It also established a 24/7 hotline for families impacted by what the state's health chief has called a "tragic" outbreak.
“This is a tragic situation, and our thoughts are with the families who are grieving right now,” Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal said over the weekend. "We are working every day to ensure all infection control protocols are continuously followed and closely monitoring the situation at the facility."
Another facility the team will visit: University Hospital, where a possible bacterial infection in the neonatal intensive care unit may have contributed to the death of an infant. Health officials announced Thursday that the child in that case had died at the Newark facility on Oct. 1. That baby had compounding medical issues, though, so a cause of death remains under investigation.
The other three facilities include Voorhees Pediatric Facility in Voorhees and Children’s Specialized Hospital locations in Toms River and Mountainside. The health department reached out to each of the five last week to schedule visits for November, officials said.
The specialized multi-disciplinary team conducts voluntary, non-regulatory assessments of infection prevention practices and takes a collaborative approach to highlight and share what facilities are doing well and identify opportunities to improve, according to a news release. The assessments focus on prevention of health facility-acquired infections and breaches of infection control through adherence to best practices and state and federal requirements.
