WANAQUE - The number of people confirmed to have been infected in a viral outbreak, that killed seven at a Wanaque long-term care center has increased to 26, the New Jersey's state health commissioner tweeted Saturday.
An eighth child who was at the center also has died, but the state Department of Health said it did not have "laboratory confirmation" of the presence of adenovirus in the child.
Dr. Shereef Elnahal said among those infected with the adenovirus was a staff member of the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, who is "now better." He said there have been no new suspected cases since Monday, Oct. 22. The facility, off of Ringwood Avenue in Haskell, continues to not admit new patients, he said.
The patients who have gotten sick are medically fragile children with a compromised immune system.
The first case of a patient with the adenovirus was noted on Sept. 26. The New Jersey Health Department was notified of a "cluster of respiratory illnesses" at the center on Oct. 9, after the office closed for the day. Health officials began surveillance work at the facility the next morning.
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.
In a news conference held Wednesday outside the facility, Elnahal said it may be "impossible or difficult to know" how the virus got to the facility.
On Friday, health officials reported the eighth death.
Health officials have given out little information about the deaths, such as if they occurred at the center or at a hospital. They would not say when the first six deaths occurred, only that the children died in October. They have not disclosed the ages of the children who have died, saying only that they ranged in age from "toddlers through young adult."
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