MYFOXNY.COM – Parishioners and other faithful who received Holy Communion during Christmas mass at a church on Long Island may have been exposed to hepatitis A, according to the Nassau County Department of Health.

Health officials urged anyone who received Communion at the 10:30 am and 12 p.m. masses on December 25, 2010, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at Massapequa Park to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The Nassau Health Department is offering immune globulin or hepatitis A vaccine to those potentially exposed to hepatitis A, officials said.

Officials did not offer details on the source of the potential contamination, but said that the hepatitis A virus can be spread by consuming food or drink that has been handled by an infected person.

Just sitting in the church during mass would not put churchgoers at risk, officials said.

The symptoms usually appear within 28 days of exposure, with a range of 15 to 50 days, Nassau health officials said.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain, and jaundice, the CDC says. some patients exhibit no symptoms at all.

Once symptoms appear, no medication can be used to treat a patient; bed rest is usually all that is needed, health officials said.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. it is what is called a “self-limiting disease,” which doesn’t become a chronic infection or chronic liver disease, according to the CDC website.

For more information on the potential hepatitis A exposure at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, you can contact the Nassau County Department of Health at 516-227-9496.

The Nassau County Health Department is offering immune globulin or the Hep A vaccine for those who may have been exposed to the virus at Our Lady of Lourdes Church auditorium, 855 Carmans Road, Massapequa Park, N.Y.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011 – 3 pm to 8 pm Wednesday, January 5, 2011 – 9 am to 3 pm

• NASSAU HEALTH DEPARTMENT
• CDC