Long Island Catholics exposed to hepatitis A through communion

It seems like the Catholic Church just can't catch a break these days. The Vatican's latest PR hurdle stems from fears that roughly 1300 parishioners of a church in Long Island, New York may have been exposed to hepatitis A when they received communion during services on Christmas day.

According to Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Department of Health, "a person involved in the Communion process has tested positive for hepatitis A." She did not specify whether the infected person was a priest, altar boy or Eucharistic minister.

Health officials are asking anyone who attended services at 10:30 a.m. and noon on Christmas day at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park to return to the church Tuesday or Wednesday to receive a vaccination to fight off infection of the disease.

I didn't see this posted when I did a search, and the reason I posted it in this forum is because I just do not trust much of anything the Catholic Church does, and I thought it was very strange they asked everyone to come back for a vaccine. I wasn't aware that a vaccine could help protect you so long after the fact..... or at all actually, even though they say it can.
news.yahoo.com

reply to post by toolstarr


You can catch hepatitis A if:

•You eat or drink food or water that has been contaminated by the virus (fruits, vegetables, shellfish, ice, and water are common sources of the hepatitis A virus)
•You come in contact with the stool or blood of a person who currently has the disease
•A person with hepatitis A does not wash his or her hands properly after going to the bathroom and touches other objects or food
•You participate in sexual practices that involve oral-anal contact.
From Mayo Clinic.


It should be very interesting to find how this disease was spread.

It disgusts me to even speculate how it happened.

reply to post by toolstarr


I don't know if the vaccine works after the fact...the incubation period is rather long for Hepatitis A...I think 15-30 days.

I personally wouldn't go back to get the vaccine for a few reasons.

One is that Hepatitis A is the big bad nasty Hepatitis...and it sounds like it is pretty common for people to get and not even know they have had it. Because it seems like for most of the time it is very mild.

Secondly...just because the person tested positive for Hepatitis A and was involved in the communion process...doesn't mean that it was passd along. If the person was a clean person and washed thier hands before being involved in the communion process...they probability of them passing something along is low. Now if they just went to the bathroom and didn't wash their hands...then chances are greater.


I think the "health officials" are just covering their butts in offering the vaccine. Since they have knowledge of the situation...they have to take some action.



On a sidenote...it's nice to see the people above me glad or happy that people may be getting sick just because of their beliefs. That is kind of sick and twisted...and you say it's the religious people who are evil...ha.

reply to post by Condemned0625


You wish a serious disease on these people because of their religious beliefs? That's just plain sick (no pun intended).

its just a liver disease that can be caught throu stool
and with the ways u.s infastructure is going id say that church/local hangaroundarea should have its water/plumbing checked

if its not then there is someone using "hard" drugs in their communion and not being clean

or they are all on some sort of "vitamine" supplement that busts the liver ,

id give it thouse three since its the most common factors,

reply to post by gnosticquasar


another way to put it would be where is your god / saints or did they all deserv it if its all a master plan, ...

kinda like why do churches need lightning protection or insurance...

sorry for the sarcasm and irony in it all

Originally posted by gnosticquasar
reply to post by Condemned0625

 

You wish a serious disease on these people because of their religious beliefs? That's just plain sick (no pun intended).

So is their religion, being that it's just plain sick to brainwash children instead of letting them decide for themselves. Yeah, I have a problem with religious people, just like you having a problem with me having a problem with them. Everyone has problems with many things.

reply to post by Condemned0625


Amazingly so many who talk about brain washing children yadda yadda were themselves "victims" of this brain washing, obviously it doesn't work so well with all these people liberated now from religion etc.

So many today are proof of the lie that education in a religious institution and ethos is far from brain washing - their atheism/agnosticism/bitterness is proof.

reply to post by Condemned0625


You sound like an angry little emo kid who blames religion, establishment, and schools for all his/her misfortunes. Yes religion sucks, but there's no need to be so hostile and careless with words. If you wanted a child to have free choice then you would not teach them ANYTHING, which includes having manners and some code of ethics, let it grow up a savage. What is your point? Religion or not, it is ultimately people who are evil and use religion to justify their behavior. If religion would not be there people would simply use something else in its place. Again, stop blaming everything around you for the sorry state of your (and all of ours) life and take some responsibility.