Diocese issues statement on SARS epidemic

The Albany diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship has issued the following statement in response to concerns about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS):

Due to the SARS outbreak there, the bishop of Toronto has suspended the reception of Precious Blood (wine) from the cup and the practice of placing the Body (host) on the tongue, as well as the giving of the Sign of Peace by touching hands, but no similar measures are being taken in the Albany Diocese.

In 1996, the U.S. bishops' Committee on the Liturgy published the following in its newsletter:

"Since 1985, the [bishops'] Liturgy Secretariat has contacted the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta on a regular basis to request their latest advisories concerning the possible health risks associated with drinking from a common communion cup. In a June 1996 letter to the Secretariat, the CDC stated that 'there is a theoretical risk of transmission of some agents that are present in oral secretions, particularly the respiratory viruses, such as those that cause the common cold. In contrast, the theoretical risk of transmitting hepatitis B, tuberculosis or human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] by this means is exceedingly low.'

"The CDC is 'not aware of any specific episodes or outbreaks of illness that have been associated with the use of a common communion cup,' though 'such occurrence would be difficult to detect and to distinguish from respiratory or other forms of person-to-person contact.'

"In summary, the CDC has not recommended to the Catholic Church that it abandon the practice of drinking from the cup because of potential health risks."

According to the Center for Disease Control, SARS is spread in the same way as other cold-type illnesses. As a preventative measure, the Center recommends frequent hand-washing. It further recommends that people who believe they have been exposed to the illness remain vigilant for ten days.

At the present time, documented cases have been limited to a small number of hospitals and households. There is no evidence of community-wide infection in the United States.

People who are members of vulnerable populations -- e.g. the sick and the frail elderly -- should always be cautious about the risk of infection. Also, anyone who experiences the signs of infectious illness has a responsibility to be considerate of the health of other people and refrain from activities, including partaking in the communion cup, that will put others in harm's way.

(5/1/03) [[In-content Ad]]