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Some British parishioners are being advised to hug rather than shake hands "as a sign of peace" in measures by churches to try to stop the spread of swine flu, a report said Wednesday.
The Church of England has introduced the measure in its Southwark diocese in southeast London as concerns mount about the spread of swine flu in Britain, the Financial Times said.
Some churches have also begun to allow "intinction" or dipping bread in communion wine rather than sharing the chalice, while others have stopped offering wine altogether, the newspaper said.
A British bishop has already advised his diocese to suspend holy water from churches in a bid to halt the spread of the A(H1N1) virus.
The measures follow ones being introduced in other countries, including in Portugal where church goers are to take communion by having the host placed in their hands, not their mouth.
Swine flu has now killed more than 700 people around the globe, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday, as experts debated whether schools should be closed to contain the pandemic.
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(Agencies)
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本周三有報道稱，一些英國教堂建議教區居民用擁抱代替握手來傳遞“和平的信號”，以防止豬流感的傳播。
《金融時報》說，由于越來越多的人擔心豬流感在英國擴散，英國教會在倫敦東南部的南華克主管教區推薦了這一方法。
報紙上說，有的教堂已經開始允許用面包蘸圣餐酒，不再共用圣餐杯，而其他一些教堂則完全停止供應集體圣餐酒了。
一位英國主教已經建議他主管教區的教堂暫停供應圣水，從而防止甲型H1N1流感病毒的傳播。
這些措施效法了其他國家的做法，例如葡萄牙，那里的教徒領圣餐時是把面包放在手中而不是放進嘴里。
世界衛生組織本周二稱，目前豬流感已經在全球奪去了700多人的生命，專家們正在討論是否應該關閉學校來抑制豬流感的大規模流行。
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（英語點津 陳丹妮編輯） |
