Seven children killed in virus outbreak at US health centre
The death
toll from a viral outbreak at a medical care centre in the US state of New
Jersey has risen to seven children, with 11 more infected.
The strain
of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation was
"associated with communal living" and "known to cause severe
illness", officials said in a statement.
The children
affected were "medically fragile", the statement added.
The state
investigation is ongoing. The centre is now closed to new patients.
The health
facility in Haskell is privately owned. The centre did not immediately respond
to a request for comment from the BBC.
According to
an earlier Department of Health release, state officials
began investigating on Sunday and continued on Tuesday.
We learned
last night that unfortunately another child who was hospitalized due to #adenovirus passed
away yesterday. The young child’s death was the 7th death associated with the
outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
More info: http://bit.ly/2ApGK8x
More info: http://bit.ly/2ApGK8x
End of
Twitter post by @NJDeptofHealth
On Sunday,
an inspection team found "minor handwashing deficiencies" at the
centre, which also provides short- and long-term adult nursing and
rehabilitation services.
It is still
unclear how and when exactly the outbreak began.
Local news
site NewJersey.com reported that a
letter had been sent to parents of patients about an outbreak on 18 October,
but officials did not confirm any details about the virus until Tuesday.
The state
health department said it was working with the Wanaque Center "to ensure
that all infection control measures are being followed". It said the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was helping with its investigation.
Children in
the centre's paediatric ward are seriously ill - many
are disabled, in comas, or cannot walk or speak, the North Jersey Record
reported.
The children
affected have not been identified.
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