Health chief: ‘May never know’ source of deadly virus
Posted Dec 3, 2018 04:08:56 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s health commissioner says it’s possible the source of a viral infection that killed 11 children at a long-term care facility may never be known.
Dr. Shereef Elnahal testified before a state Senate legislative committee Monday.
Elnahal said the adenovirus that led to the deaths at the Wanaque (WAHN’-uh-kyew) Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell could have come from a visitor.
The children at the facility all had serious underlying health conditions.
Elnahal said his staff found “infection control deficiencies” at the facility. He also said it took the facility nearly a month to completely separate healthy and affected patients, due to a lack of space.
Representatives of the facility were invited to Monday’s hearing but didn’t attend.
The Associated Press
