Hundreds of mass goers may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus while receiving Holy Communion at a Catholic church in Long Island on Christmas morning according to officials.
Authorities have warned that an unidentified person, who handled communion wafers may have transmitted the illness to parishioners at two separate Masses.
The incident occurred at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Massapepua during the 10:30am and 12:00pm religious services on December 25.
The Nassau County Department of Health warned anyone who may have received Holy Communion to report for inoculation at the church this week.
"Individuals may be at risk," said Sean Dolan, a spokesman for Diocese of Rockville Centre.
"It's not the Communion wafer itself," Dolan told the New York Post. "It was somebody who handled the Communion wafers. There may have been a transmission there."
When diagnosed, most people recover in a few weeks. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, poor appetite, nausea and stomach pain.
Mr Dolan said the incident was under investigation.
"We're hoping that anybody who might come down with the virus comes out and gets the vaccination, “he added.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.CaliforniaShamrock | May 16, 2011, 02:48 PM EDT
Actually it is the hand to hand and hand to tongue contact that spreads germs - so receiving in hand/tongue doesn't make a difference - in fact it is probably more sanitary to give in the hand since you don't touch tongue by accident in placing the host. (too bad for all the old Mass people!)
sirpeter | Jan 07, 2011, 07:22 AM EST
Dr.Jamie RN...I think i have Hep A..I just sent a bag of my fecal matter by Fast Track over to you to check...PS..You can forward it to Towngate when you are finished checking it.
Watereskhill | Jan 06, 2011, 10:52 PM EST
Mr Dolan issued a somewhat feverish Plague in Venice on rather vague input. An 'unidentified person' under investigation is a rather daft premise. The Ghost of Christmas Past?
jamieLM | Jan 06, 2011, 12:47 PM EST
Improperly cooked shellfish is a common source of infection for Hep A. It's also transmitted by eating food or drinking water which was contaminated by infected fecal material. In other words, someone carrying the virus didn't wash their hands after using the restroom and then handled food. Everyone, wash your hands, relax, and take Communion. This more of a problem in the food industry. If you get the above symptoms, call your Dr. Jamie RN
sirpeter | Jan 06, 2011, 11:06 AM EST
shamrock43..Thanks..But my 8 year old could see the flaw in that headline..I thought this headline would have been better...Person "MAY" have spread hepatitis A virus while giving out Holy Communion.I would have still clicked the link to read it.Well Molly got 20 comments anyway, maybe that's what it's all about.
shamrock43 | Jan 06, 2011, 09:53 AM EST
sir peter, you hit the nail right on the head, it was a person not the Holy Communion that may and i say MAY have spread the germ
sirpeter | Jan 05, 2011, 10:07 PM EST
God almighty..Rob..The moon is sterile,best you go live there
RobbCobb | Jan 05, 2011, 09:38 PM EST
I'd recommend using individual, disposable cups for partaking of the wine, and a waffer dispenser that allows each parishioner to take their own waffer. It doesn't detract from the meaning of the holy communion, it just makes it safer.
RobbCobb | Jan 05, 2011, 09:30 PM EST
Nasty. Could be worse...Hep B or even C. Maybe sipping from the community chalice and handling the waffers isn't such a good idea after all.
sirpeter | Jan 05, 2011, 09:03 PM EST
antoman ...Has a good solution...most masses don't give out wine...but the host need not be handled by anybody but the person who takes it.
jimgordo1 | Jan 05, 2011, 08:35 PM EST
I agree with sir peter: I don't see one word in the article about there being even one case of Hep A being reported: ". . .may have been exposed. . ." and "unidentified person . . .may have transmitted. . ." Did this "u/i person," presumably a Eucharistic Minister, actually have Hep A? How does anyone know and if so, how did anyone find out? Did the person come out and say so? Were they subsequently diagnosed with it? There's too many holes and too much supposition. Additionally the wafers and wine annot "spread" anything. Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As such it could hardly "spread" anything other than grace.
Pittsburghkid | Jan 05, 2011, 07:54 PM EST
Well, that because the Catholic Church has become the Church of WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW". The Old Catholic Mass was a thing of beauty. I know the latin, and enjoyed mass. Communion was only touched by the Priest. No wine was given out. The New Catholic Mass the alter is like a Bad Fire Drill with everyone running around. Woman giving out the host, and people lining up for wine. There is the spiritual Catholics, who have a little act each time they get communion. They act like they are going to accend into heaven. What ever happened to humility? In the old days, you had to come early to mass to get a seat. Now the pews are empty. Will the idiots admit that they are wrong? No, they continue to make it worse. Now the Catholic Church is hurting in the U.S., so they want to bring illegal aliens from Mexico. Being an illegal alien is criminal, in the future the pews will be filled with criminal.
SingleDonald | Jan 05, 2011, 07:36 PM EST
I sometimes go to Our Lady of Lourdes, as I live in Farmingdale, which is one town over from Massapequa, on Long Island. Fortunately, I attended Christmas Mass at St. Kilians, the church in Farmingdale!
mrkennedy | Jan 05, 2011, 03:52 PM EST
How about the individuals who have a cold, perhaps sneeze before Mass and do not wash their hands and then distribute Communion???
sirpeter | Jan 05, 2011, 02:29 PM EST
lets all go around like Micheal Jackson..never go out..what rubbish
BPalumbo | Jan 05, 2011, 01:45 PM EST
i will not comment on such a diabolic issue!!!
PhlutiePhan | Jan 05, 2011, 01:16 PM EST
This is a common sense issue and not a religious one. In wine, the alcohol kills germs. Remember before anasthetic, cowboys would be gotten drunk and then booze poured on the cut. Bread is another story. It is also a matter of just who is selected to hand out the "sacred cookie wafers". Discipline has broken down and there are credible reports of male prostitutes being allowed to hand out communion. The "handshake of peace" is just one more issue with no common sense for disease.
sirpeter | Jan 05, 2011, 11:47 AM EST
No anti-Catholics yet,and Church haters...I'm very disappointed.@Paradigm..That's such an obvious and excellent point..Maybe I'm been paranoid but do we have to have on IrishCentral something Anti-Catholic up as one of the news articles all the time? There is alot i don't agree with in the Catholic Church,but i don't want it destroyed either.(ie throwing the baby out with the bath water)We need the Church for those who have a sh*tty life here on earth.They need to believe something better is going to happen.
John G. Hogan | Jan 05, 2011, 10:16 AM EST
I just don't believe the Good Lord would allow his Body and or Blood be used to spread something like Hepatitis A virus.......now by a hand shake is a whole different story.
Paradigm | Jan 05, 2011, 10:06 AM EST
Oh dear! Anything to undermine Christianity annd those who practice their faith. Bet a dollor to a dime that this is all pure hogwash. How do we survive public toilets, public transport, restaurants, the work place - maybe the scaremongers will consider 'catching themselves on'!
antoman | Jan 05, 2011, 09:46 AM EST
Wash your hands.Wear surgical glooves.Or better yet let me pick out my own waifer.Sure you'd not pick a chocolate out of the box for me..you'd offer the box and let me choose my own..right?
chris13 | Jan 05, 2011, 09:15 AM EST
Good point...it was "possibly" a person who spread the virus, not the communion wafers or wine.
jamieLM | Jan 05, 2011, 08:50 AM EST
The headline is sensational and misleading.
sirpeter | Jan 05, 2011, 08:03 AM EST
IrishCentral...You're headline reads...!"Holy Communion in Catholic Church "spreads" hepatitis A virus" The article then goes on to say "MAY" have transmitted the illness. Authorities are not sure,they are just speculating and they just want to take precautions.Also the Holy Communion which to Catholics is the body of Christ did not spread the virus..So you might have well said..The body of Christ spreads hepatitis A. But it wasn't the Holy Communion...It's transmitted by a person.Why not put the headline...Person "MAY" have spread hepatitis A virus while giving out Holy Communion.I'm no holy Joe,but this headline is twisted in a way to give a false impression.