Adenovirus outbreak kills 9th child in New Jersey

A ninth child has died of respiratory illness at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in the Haskell section of Wanaque, New Jersey, the state’s Department of Health announced Sunday morning.

The latest victim was someone who had a confirmed case of adenovirus and became sick before Oct. 22.

There have been 25 pediatric cases associated with the outbreak. A staff member also was ill but has since recovered, according to the health department.

Of those 25 pediatric cases, eight of the deaths were in children with confirmed adenovirus. The Department of Health does not have laboratory confirmation of adenovirus for the child who died Friday afternoon.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal called the situation “tragic” in a press release before going on to say that the department is “working every day to ensure all infection control protocols are continuously followed and closely monitoring the situation at the facility.”

So far, all of the people associated with the outbreak became ill between Sept. 26 and Oct. 22.

Children in the facility’s pediatric ventilator unit had severely compromised immune systems before the outbreak began.

The type of adenovirus virus involved in the outbreak is associated with communal living arrangements and is known to cause severe illness – especially in those with compromised immune systems. Adenoviruses are common viruses that affect the lining of the airways, intestines, eyes or urinary tract and are responsible for some colds, coughs, sore throats, pinkeye and diarrhea. Usually the illnesses are mild, but they can be deadly for people with weakened immune systems.