Hundreds at N.Y. Church Possibly Exposed to Hepatitis A

Health officials say hundreds of people may have been exposed to hepatitis A while receiving communion on Christmas Day at a church on Long Island, N.Y.

The Nassau County Health Department said Monday it will offer vaccines this week to anyone who received communion at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park on Dec. 25.

A church spokesman told Newsday that the investigation was ongoing and that he could not identify who might have transmitted the virus.

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.

Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, stomach pain, dark-colored urine and jaundice. The disease is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications.

The Associated Press and MyFoxNY contributed to this article.