The adenovirus at a New Jersey pediatric rehabilitation center has spread to a 30th person and killed a 10th, and another strain of the virus has appeared at a second facility, officials said.
The outbreak of adenovirus type 7 continues spreading at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, which houses both pediatric and elderly patients.
Laboratory tests confirmed that another “medically fragile child” is infected with the virus, the state Department of Health said on Nov. 5. One adult case and 29 pediatric cases have been linked to the outbreak, and 10 children have died.
Although no new patients are being admitted to the facility, lab tests could confirm additional cases.
The outbreak has attacked children who were already weak with severely compromised immune systems, officials said. Adenovirus type 7 is linked to communal living arrangements and is most commonly associated with acute respiratory disease, according to the CDC.
Adenoviruses, of which there are 52 different strains, are common causes of respiratory illnesses and most infections aren’t severe. Symptoms include sore throat, bronchitis, pink eye, and inflammation of the intestines. Symptoms typically appear two to 14 days after exposure.
The viruses typically spread from close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands, through the air by coughing and sneezing, and touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them before touching one’s mouth, nose, or eyes.
Second Facility
On Monday officials also said that five new adenovirus cases have been confirmed at a second facility.
The outbreak happened at Voorhees Pediatric Facility.
“The Department and local health partners have been working with the facility to provide infection control recommendations and identify other possible illnesses since the facility notified the Department of a case of adenovirus in a resident on October 26,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal in a statement.
Parents of children at Voorhees were alerted to the presence of the virus on Oct. 30.
The adenovirus at the facility is Type 3, officials noted. “Adenovirus Type 3 is typically associated with a milder illness than the Type 7 identified at Wanaque, however, it is still sometimes associated with severe illness and even death,” the department said.
It wasn’t clear if there was any direct link between the cases at Wanaque and Voorhees.
FAQs about #adenovirus are now available on our website.
Check them out here: https://t.co/sfqUn3YC5V pic.twitter.com/MeAsV4RJPb
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) October 24, 2018
Training
The adenovirus outbreak prompted officials to deploy infection control response teams to five pediatric long-term care facilities in November to conduct training and assess the infection control at the facilities.
“Facility outbreaks are not always preventable, but in response to what we have seen in Wanaque, we are taking aggressive steps to minimize the chance they occur among the most vulnerable patients in New Jersey,” Elnahal said in a statement.
“Infection Control Assessment and Response teams are experts in infection control, conducting 160 voluntary, on-site assessments in hospitals, long-term care and outpatient facilities, dialysis centers, and even Ebola treatment units. They have also hosted educational webinars on infection control,” the statement continued.
The teams visited Voorhees in May and Wanaque in 2016 after the facility requested them to do so.
