10th Child Dies From Adenovirus Outbreak At Rehab Center In New Jersey
HASKELL, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Officials on Wednesday confirmed another death from a virus spreading through a rehab center in New Jersey.
The state's Health Department says a tenth child confirmed to have had the adenovirus has died.
The child lived at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell where so far, 27 pediatric cases have been tied to the outbreak.
The children all had compromised immune systems before the outbreak.
MORE: Women Document Filthy Conditions At New Jersey Nursing Facility Amid Virus Outbreak
Despite the state's assurances that they're trying to limit exposure, CBS2 spoke with a patient who described the grisly conditions he says he encountered at the center.
Eugene Dorio says he went through eight weeks of hell while living at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
"There's just no compassion, ya know?" the 66-year-old diabetic said.
"It was really dirty, they didn't really take care of me," he said. "It was like I had to wait for another shift to come in another two hours to change me, and this went on daily."
Dorio says he visited the pediatric unit, where the medically fragile children lived, about once a week. He says they always seemed to be sick.
The former patient added the center would sometimes smell of urine or feces, something the staff would blame on patients' bodily functions.
"Well that's your job," Dorio says. "Clean it up and get rid of the smell."
Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has pushed back against the former patient's claims, citing its record of being ranked in the top ten percent of nursing facilities in the U.S.
Adenovirus is a respiratory virus which can sometimes cause serious illness. Symptoms can include developing a cold, sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, and pink eye. Bladder infections, inflammation of the stomach or intestines, and neurological diseases have also been linked to the virus.
The facility is not admitting any new patients while the outbreak is still being dealt with.
