Hundreds of parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa may have been exposed to the virus when they received holy communion on Christmas morning, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
An unidentified person who handled the communion wafers may have transmitted the illness at two masses, a spokesman for the Nassau County Department of Health said.
Hepatitis A is commonly spread by consuming food or drink that was handled by an infected person.
While rarely fatal, it causes fever, fatigue, nausea and stomach pain.
Health officials are offering vaccinations for hepatitis A at Our Lady of Lourdes on Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Long Island Press reported. UPI
