7th child dies, 11 sick in viral outbreak at New Jersey rehabilitation center (video)
Taken from Eyewitness News, ABC 7
Wednesday October 24
HASKELL, New Jersey (WABC) –A seventh child has died from a viral outbreak at a rehabilitation center in New Jersey, health officials confirmed Wednesday, and 11 others remain ill.
The state Department of Health confirmed 18 cases of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, Passaic County, with six previous fatalities.
“The New Jersey Department of Health learned last night that unfortunately another child who was hospitalized due to adenovirus passed away yesterday,” a statement read. “The young child’s death was associated with the 12 (remaining) confirmed cases of adenovirus among medically fragile children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. The strain of adenovirus seen in this outbreak is associated with communal living arrangements and known to cause severe illness. The department continues to work very closely with the facility to ensure that all infection control measures are being followed. An outbreak investigation, with assistance from the CDC, is ongoing.”
The state became aware of the outbreak back on October 9 and has been working with the CDC, but parents of patients reached out to Eyewitness News to complain about a lack of transparency. One parent of a sick child said she only learned of the outbreak by watching the news and that they were never told about the severity of the situation. She said a nurse downplayed the situation, saying her daughter had a fever and was given medication due to “a little virus going around” similar to the common cold.