A seventh child has died as the result of an adenovirus outbreak at a New Jersey medical facility, which received six health citations by the state as recently as two months ago.
The latest pediatric patient at Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation died Tuesday after being hospitalized with the virus, the New Jersey Department of Health said Wednesday.
A total of 18 “medically fragile children” at the Haskell facility have been infected with the virus that’s common among kids. Authorities announced the deaths of six of them Tuesday. Eleven remain sickened.
Online records show the center receives regular inspections, the last on Aug. 20 when six health deficiencies were filed.
One of them was for failure to “provide and implement an infection prevention and control program,” which was fixed on Oct. 19, the records show.
The state health department said it was notified of the adenovirus outbreak at the 227-bed facility, which also cares for the elderly, on Oct. 9.
Other deficiencies were for a nurse who didn’t wash her hands after picking up and discarding a pill she dropped on the floor and for a urinary drainage bag that was found draining into a urinal that was half full, according to records.
A nurse told an inspector that “supplies were not the best,” the report said.
The total number of deficiencies recorded in August is higher than the average number in the state — 4.2 — but lower than the national average of 7.5.
The particular strain of adenovirus, type 7, “is associated with communal living arrangements and known to cause severe illness,” the health department said in a statement.
“The Department continues to work very closely with the facility to ensure that all infection control measures are being followed,” the statement continued. “An outbreak investigation, with assistance from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], is ongoing.”
The long-term facility is barred from admitting new patients until the outbreak is resolved.
It has also received several other health citations since 2015, including for a nurse who didn’t properly wash her hands after giving a patient eye drops and for a patient who broke a leg in the shower, NorthJersey.com reported.
A rep for the Wanaque Center didn’t immediately comment.
Adenovirus can cause minor, cold-like symptoms but can cause serious infections in those with compromised immune systems, like the ventilator-dependent pediatric residents at Wanaque.
