Parishioners at a Roman Catholic church in Long Island are being
offered quite a belated Christmas present: a vaccine against hepatitis A
from the local health department.
As the New York Times reports, there’s a worry that people who received communion at two
Christmas Day Masses were exposed to the virus via communion wafers.
(Here’s the announcement
from the Nassau County Department of Health.)
The county health
commissioner tells the paper that an unidentified person who touched the
wafers used during two services was subsequently diagnosed with the
virus.
No word on whether it’s a member of the clergy or someone else
who received or assisted with communion.
Hepatitis A can’t be spread by casual contact.
But it can be
contracted by eating something that was handled by an infected person —
hence, the wafer concern. It’s most commonly spread by oral contact with
contaminated stool, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends routine hep A vaccination
for all kids at 12 months.
Adults should get the vaccine if they have
certain risk factors for the disease, such as a pattern of frequent
travel to areas where the virus is common, long-term liver disease or
street drug use.
Men who have sex with other men should also get
vaccinated.
The good news is that the disease usually clears up on its own in a
couple of weeks. It’s not as serious as other forms of hepatitis, such
as B and C.
SIC: WSJ/USA