The Mysterious Deadly Viral Outbreak at a New Jersey Pediatric Rehab Center Made Its 19th Victim

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The latest analyses confirmed Thursday that a 19th patient was infected by the mysterious viral outbreak affecting a New Jersey pediatric rehabilitation center that, so far, has killed seven people, according to the New Jersey health officials. The person, whose identity was not disclosed, had already been ill, so the diagnosis does not necessarily mean the virus continues to spread, according to Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

The outbreak won’t be declared finished until the Wanaque Children’s Rehabilitation Center records four weeks without any new cases of the mysterious virus infection. So far, the researchers determined that the viral outbreak is caused by a virus called Adenovirus-7, as reported by the Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal this week.

The seven people who died were under the age of 18, and all were in a respiratory care unit, where patients receive long-term help. The identities of the deceased and infected patients have not been made known to the public.

Mysterious viral outbreak affecting a New Jersey juvenile rehabilitation center is far from ending, at the moment

Adenoviruses generally pose a low risk to healthy people and usually cause mild cold- or flu-like symptoms, such as a sore throat, fever, cough, and sneezing. Some strains also cause diarrhea or conjunctivitis. The strain found in the New Jersey juvenile rehabilitation center is among the strongest ones as it can cause severe respiratory illnesses, especially in people with weak immune systems.

Rowena Bautista, the center’s director, said Thursday in a statement that the community “feels a tremendous sense of loss.” She added that the center is working with the state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as offering professional grief counselors and establishing an emergency hotline until the mysterious viral outbreak ends.

According to the health officials, the first symptoms appeared on September 26th, but the situation was deemed as an outbreak on October 9th.

Vadim Ioan Caraiman

Vadim is a passionate writer on various topics but especially on stuff related to health, technology, and science. Therefore, for Great Lakes Ledger, Vadim will cover health and Sci&Tech news.