Virus kills 6 kids in N.J. care facility

A lethal viral outbreak killed six kids and infected another dozen already-ailing children inside a New Jersey long-term care facility, state health officials said Tuesday.

The andenovirus struck this week at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabiliation in Haskell, taking the biggest toll on children afflicted by severely weakened immune systems, officials said.

“Unfortunately, the particular strain of adenovirus in this outbreak is affecting medically fragile children with severely compromised immune systems,” the state Health Department said in a statement. “The strain has been particularly associated with disease in communal living arrangements and can be more severe.”

An immediate ban was imposed on new admissions at the four-story facility in northern New Jersey, with the prohibition in effect until the outbreak ends and the operation is designated as in “full compliance” by state health officials, according to the Health Department.

“I am heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak … and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

An inspection team dispatched to the Passaic County facility on Sunday uncovered some “minor handwashing deficiencies,” state health officials said. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can be transferred via contact with a tainted object or surface, followed by touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands.

The andenovirus identified in the outbreak would typically cause pneumonia, croup, bronchitis or some milder respiratory ailment. But the virus becomes far more dangerous in people with weakened immune systems, like many of the children at the center.

Another team arrived Tuesday as news of the fatalities spread, and authorities said the state was first notified of respiratory illnesses in the center back on Oct. 8.