Trenton, New Jersey: New Jersey authorities are working to contain a severe viral outbreak at a paediatric centre that has left six children dead and 12 others infected.

The state has barred the facility, the Wanaque Centre for Nursing and Rehabilitation, from accepting new patients until the outbreak is contained. Children at the Wanaque Centre in northern New Jersey are paediatric long-term care residents, with some reliant on ventilators and tracheal tubes.

It was not clear when the children died, and though the New Jersey Health Department declined to release their ages on Tuesday, it said that the 18 people stricken with the virus ranged from a toddler to a young adult and that most were under 18.

The adenovirus but can be fatal to those with compromised immune systems. Credit:Fairfax Media

The Health Department said it was conducting an investigation at the centre, which has been cited in the past for health code violations, and had a two out of five star rating on health inspections from the federal Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services.