CANTERBURY, England (RNS/ENI) Fears about the spread of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, are curtailing religious activities of both Christians and Muslims as they worship and express their faith, especially in Britain.

Health authorities believe that the H1N1 flu pandemic is having a greater impact on Britain than on other European countries, with at least 31 deaths from the virus, in part because Britain is an international travel hub.

Christians in Britain have had to introduce health measures at Communion services and in the use of holy water that some use to bless themselves when entering churches.

Leaders of the Church of England wrote bishops on July 23 to recommend suspending a shared Communion chalice. The archbishops of Canterbury and York said the church’s worship needed to “take into account the interests of public health during the current phase of the swine flu pandemic.”

The letter followed advice from the health department in Britain not to share “common vessels” for food or drink. The department reported that 100,000 suspected new cases of the flu had been reported in Britain over the past week, almost double the 55,000 new cases the week before.

The Muslim Council of Britain released guidelines to Muslims on its Web site, urging imams and mosque leaders to increase the awareness of the dangers of using communal towels during cleansing rituals before worship.

Murtaza Shibli, a spokesman for the group, told Ecumenical News International that the council “concurs with the advice of Saudi Health Authorities and the World Health Organization that the current pandemic strain of swine flu was more likely to be severe in certain groups of individuals — elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic disease and children.”

As a precaution against spreading the H1N1 virus, Arab health ministers in Cairo on Wednesday (July 22) announced plans to ban children under the age of 12, the elderly, and the chronically ill from attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Anglican clergy in the Diocese of Chelmsford, east of London, have advised worshippers to empty all water fonts at the entry of churches, where people bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross, until the pandemic is over.

“The water contained in stoups can easily become a source of infection and a means of rapidly spreading the virus,” Bishop John Gladwin said in a message.

Many British Catholic parishes have stopped offering Communion wine at Mass, following fears that sharing the chalice will further spread infection. In New Zealand, the Catholic Church has asked priests not to place Communion wafers on the tongues of worshippers during Mass.