It seems that many more people may have been exposed to Hepatitis A after receiving communion at a Long Island church. Initially, the Nassau County Department of Health said that only people attending two Christmas Day Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa Park, Long Island faced a potential Hepatitis a risk, but now, it appears that those who took communion the following day also face a health threat.

Apparently, someone at Our Lady of Lourdes involved in distributing Holy Communion on Christmas Day was infected with Hepatitis a. the person who exposed the communion wafers to the contagion became ill during the week after Christmas. Several days later, blood tests confirmed the individual was suffering from Hepatitis a.

The public was first notified of the health risk connected to Our Lady of Lourdes on January 3. at that time, the health department warned that individuals could be at risk of contracting Hepatitis a if they received communion during the 10:30 a.m. and noon Masses on Christmas Day.

Now, it appears that some communion wafers left over from those two Masses were mixed in with others, and used at subsequent services. Now, worshipers who received Holy Communion at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at the 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mass on December 26 should also seek treatment.

According to the Nassau County Department of Health, Hepatitis a is caused by the Hepatitis a virus. Hepatitis a virus may be spread by consuming food or drink that has been handled by an infected person. It may also be spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with Hepatitis a. Casual contact, as in sitting in church during mass, office or school setting, does not spread the virus.

The symptoms of Hepatitis a may range from mild to severe and include an abrupt onset of fever, fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, stomach pain, dark-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). the disease is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications. the symptoms commonly appear within 28 days of exposure, with a range of 15-50 days. there are no special medicines or antibiotics that can be used to treat a person once symptoms appear. Generally bed rest is all that is needed. thorough hand washing after bathroom use and before, during and after food preparation is the most important means to prevent the spread of this and other intestinal illnesses. Sharing of food and utensils should be discouraged especially whenever anyone is ill.

Individuals exposed to hepatitis a should receive immune globulin (IG) or a hepatitis a vaccination within 2 weeks of exposure to a person who is contagious with hepatitis a infection. Individuals who have been vaccinated for hepatitis a or who have had the illness in the past are protected from hepatitis a infections, and there is no need for further action.

For additional information on the potential hepatitis a exposure at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, please call the Nassau County Department of Health at 516.227.9496 between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:45 pm. Additional information on hepatitis a is available on the Nassau County Department of Health web site at nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/Health/index.html.

• Member of congregation involved in service tests positive for virus

Hundreds of parishioners who took Holy Communion at two Christmas Day services may have been exposed to the hepatitis a, health officials warned today.

A unnamed member of the congregation involved in the service has tested positive for the virus after the Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park, Nassau County.

Up to 30 authorised Eucharistic ministers may have helped the priest carry out the services at 10.30 and noon.

Around 7,500 parishioners belong to the Roman Catholic Church. It’s not know how many took communion that day, but the traditional service is always a popular one.

Infected? The Christmas Day services were performed at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Massapequa Park

Hepatitis a: Health officials are unsure if any of the parishioners have been infected by the virus, though one person was found to be suffering

James Lisante, pastor of the parish, could not be contacted.

Butan outgoing recording at the rectory referred questions to the local health department.

The diocese said on its website: ‘We pray that noone comes down with this virus.’

The health department declined to say who might have transmitted the pathogen, which is not as dangerous as the hepatitis B and C strands, and found in the faecal matter of the viral carrier.

‘An individual tested positive for hepatitis a who is involved in the Communion process,’ said Nassau County health department spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain, referring to an unidentified person.

‘We feel the transmission [risk] is low,’ she added, saying only a few people were possibly exposed.

‘And to protect the public from potential illness, those who received Holy Communion on December 25 should receive prophylactic treatment.’

Dr Melissa Palmer, medical director of NYU Hepatology Associates in Plainview said: ‘Hepatitis a can make you pretty sick.

‘most people will get flulike symptoms, diarrhoea – on occasion some people will have jaundice. But unlike hepatitis B and C, it does not lead to chronic liver disease.’

The health department is offering immune globulin injections or the hepatitis a vaccine to those who attended either of the Masses.

Immune globulin contains antibodies that destroy the hepatitis a virus. The vaccine prevents infection.

‘It was probably a full church,’ said Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. he said the investigation was ongoing.

Generally speaking, priests are aided at crowded Masses by authorised Eucharistic ministers, of which Our Lady of Lourdes has 30, he said.

‘We don’t want to jump to conclusions,’ he said. ‘Obviously, it’s very concerning when there’s potential exposure to any sort of virus.’

Mr Dolan said it’s still too early in the diocese’s review to speculate on any new hygiene practices.

‘We’re hoping no one comes down with the virus, but we also urge prudence,’ he said.

Dr Palmer said hepatitis a has a ‘faecal/oral route of transmission’.

Hepatitis a outbreaks are often associated with food handled by a carrier who has ineffectively washed his or her hands.

Dr Palmer said a Communion wafer is as likely a source of infection as would be any other food handled by a person with unclean hands.

Treatment with immune globulin, she added, can effectively treat infection.

Hampshire health services draft in extra staff to cope with flu-related calls

8:25am Thursday 30th December 2010

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HEALTH services in Hampshire have drafted in extra staff after being inundated with thousands of flu-related calls.

The GP Out of Hours service, covering Southampton, Portsmouth, and southern Hampshire, was bombarded by thousands of people with flu-like symptoms.

On Tuesday, the service dealt with 1,735 calls in just six hours – just short of the total 1,768 calls taken for that 24-hour period last year.

The previous day there was a 61 per cent increase on total calls compared with the same date last year, compared with a 25 per cent increase on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

a spokeswoman for Solent Healthcare, which provides community health services throughout Southampton, Portsmouth and parts of Hampshire, said: “It is an unprecedented amount of calls. it is extremely busy, we have as many clinicians in as possible, there’s a backlog in the calls, but we’re trying to get to patients as quickly as possible.”

Health Protection Agency figures for the South Central Strategic Health Authority area, which includes Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, reveal the rate of people visiting their GP for flu-like illnesses in the week ending December 23 more than tripled on the previous week to 71 per 100,000 people – below the national average of 87.1.

Health officials have urged elderly people, pregnant women and those with conditions such as diabetes, asthma and chronic heart disease to get a flu jab from their GP.

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