Facility outbreaks are not always preventable, but in response to what we have seen in Wanaque, we are taking aggressive steps to minimize the chance they occur among the most vulnerable patients in New Jersey.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal

Categorized in : Top News

We also need to think about whether there is more we can do as healthcare leaders to protect immunocompromised children, such as those served at Wanaque Center, every year in the state, there are hundreds of outbreaks at healthcare facilities.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal

It can be difficult to impossible to know how the virus got to the facility, what its source was, or what its specific mechanism of spread is from person to person.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal

It can be difficult to impossible to know how the virus got to the facility, what its source was, or what its specific mechanism of spread is from person to person, but we are working with the CDC on this ongoing outbreak investigation.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal

It is rare that in any inspection a facility would come out with no citations, if it's a number of citations, all of which are low-level, we ask for a plan of correction. We make sure the facility follows through -- and that's what this facility did here.

Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal