Can religion make you sick?

In an attempt to prevent the spread of flu among parishioners, St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, has banned the communal wine and the "sign of peace" handshake during Mass. The ban is similar to one enacted in Canada last year, after 29 people in a Catholic prayer group contracted SARS.

Unfortunately, avoiding the wine and the handshakes won't necessarily prevent transmission of any disease, according to Dr. Arnold S. Monto, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. He says sitting in a pew with a sick person for an hour is enough to make you sick.

Some people even feel sick sitting in a pew with a healthy person...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/28/national/28flu.html?th