|PIC1|Catholic priests in the Diocese of Lancashire have been advised that they may need to stop providing Holy Communion and giving Mass as the World Health Organisation warns of an "imminent" swine flu epidemic.

Priests have also been advised to wear surgical masks and gloves when visiting the sick and to take care when using service books and sacred oils to stop the spread the virus, reports the Lancashire Evening Post.

Patrick O’Donoghue, the Bishop of Lancaster, has stipulated that an emergency plan made during the bird flu outbreak three years ago will be updated and sent to priests.

So far, five cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the UK, with more than 150 people across the world confirmed to have contracted the disease and eight people confirmed dead.

Rev Nick Donnelly, permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lancashire and author of the emergency plan, said, "It is not about frightening people, it is about giving advice to prevent the spread of infection.

"It is important to realise that any close contact, whether that is during mass or not, can create the risk of spreading infection."

He added that the diocese would seek advice from the Government about what steps to take in the face of the virus. He said that any decision to stop holding mass could “be taken out of our hands”.

Rev Donnelly said that he had been working with Jim McManus, the Director of Public Health at Birmingham City Council, to create the emergency plans.

"Like any public body, we are expected to take the lead on any response to an incident like this and this plan is about ensuring everyone within the Diocese is prepared to act if they are needed to," he said.

The World Health Organisation has raised the alert level to five on its six-tier system.

“It is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic,” Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, said at a news conference in Geneva yesterday. “The biggest question right now is this: How severe will the pandemic be? All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic plans.”

There are so far five confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK, with another 76 people being tested.