Jan 8, 2011

Hundreds of NY Churchgoers Exposed to Hepatitis From Communion

Hundreds of people who attended Christmas Day Mass at one Long Island, New York church may have unknowingly been exposed to hepatitis A, the Nassau County Health Department has warned.

Parishioners who went to service at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Massapequa Park may have been exposed to the virus while taking Communion, health officials are warning.

“An individual tested positive for hepatitis A who is involved in the Communion process,” Nassau County health department spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain told Newsday. Our Lady of Lourdes has a congregation of roughly 7,500. Both priests and lay eucharistic ministers assist with Communion services at Roman Catholic churches.

Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, told the newspaper that the investigation is ongoing. The health department is encouraging parishioners that attended Mass on Christmas Day to get vaccinated for the virus.

Full Story AOL

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