Laboratory tests have confirmed another medically fragile child with adenovirus as part of an ongoing outbreak investigation at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell.
A total of 29 pediatric adenovirus cases have been associated with this outbreak. In addition, a staff member at the facility — who has since recovered — also became ill as part of the outbreak. There have been 10 deaths associated with this outbreak.
The most recent date of illness onset was on Nov. 5.
To date, the individuals associated with the outbreak became ill between Sept. 26 and Nov. 5. The affected children had severely compromised immune systems — including respiratory problems — before the outbreak began.
Unless there is another death associated with this outbreak, the Department will begin updating case counts and dates of illness onset on its adenovirus webpage.
Adenovirus has an incubation period of two to 14 days, meaning that symptoms typically appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. This later onset of illness is not unexpected due to the long incubation period of adenovirus. The Department will not consider the outbreak over until four weeks after the last illness onset.
The facility will not admit new residents for the duration of the outbreak.
This is an active investigation of an outbreak of adenovirus so it is possible that lab tests will confirm additional cases. A Department of Health Communicable Disease Service staff member is on site at the facility and monitoring the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is assisting with lab testing and expertise.
A Department of Health team of infection control experts and epidemiologists are visiting University Hospital and four pediatric long-term care facilities — including Wanaque — this month to conduct training and assessments of infection control procedures, Commissioner Elnahal announced last week. The team so far visited the Wanaque Center on Nov. 1 and University Hospital on Nov. 2.
Adenovirus is a respiratory virus which can cause mild or serious illness, though serious illness is less common. Symptoms may include common cold, sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, pink eye, fever, bladder inflammation or infection, inflammation of the stomach and intestines and neurological disease.
On Oct. 30, the Department released the final report from the Oct. 21 unannounced inspection of the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about adenovirus.
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