🚀 go-pugleaf

A deadly bacterial meningitis outbreak striking gay men in New 
York City is unlikely to abate any time soon, New York City 
health officials warn. The disease has sickened 22 and killed 
seven NYC men over the last two years.

After four cases of meningococcal disease among gay men were 
reported in Los Angeles county in recent months, there were 
concerns that the New York City outbreak had spread, but public 
health officials in Los Angeles and New York say the strains are 
not connected.

The New York City outbreak has been linked to parties, online 
websites or apps that men used to find other men for "close or 
intimate sexual contact," according to health officials. But for 
more than half of the men sickened by meningitis, there was no 
evidence that the men had used any of these means to encounter 
other men, according to public health officials.

The specific strain linked to all the cases in New York City is 
part of serogroup C. It�s the same strain that first surfaced 
when a woman came down with meningitis in New York City back in 
2003. The speed in which meningitis kills has complicated the 
search for people at risk.

In New York, �we�ve had several cases who have been actually 
found dead in their apartment before they�d even gone to see a 
medical provider. So that is, to us, absolutely terrifying,"  
Dr. Jay Varma, the New York City Deputy Commissioner for Disease 
Control in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told The 
Edge Boston in early March.

Last week, health officials in West Hollywood, Calif. warned 
members of the public to be alert after the death of Brett 
Shaad, 33, from meningitis infection. Three other cases of 
meningitis, including two deaths, had been identified among Los 
Angeles-area gay men since November.

Public health officials in Los Angeles are being careful not to 
cause alarm. �Right now we do not have an outbreak of 
meningococcal disease in LA County,� Dr. Jonathan Fielding, 
director of Public Health for the Los Angeles County Health 
Department, told NBC, citing outbreak definition requirements 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shaad, an otherwise healthy lawyer, died within a week of 
developing symptoms. Elizabeth Ashford, a spokesperson for the 
family, expressed concern that the fact that Shaad was gay has 
been used to unfairly target him and others affected with 
meningitis. Allegations that Shaad was involved in any parties 
or other risqu� activity are false, Ashford said.

�This is not a gay disease, but this is a deadly disease and 
that is why people should be conscientious about this disease,� 
she said.

Initially, meningitis symptoms may resemble the flu, with 
worsening headache, vomiting, and a sudden high fever (over 
101.3). Over hours to days, patients may develop difficulty 
thinking, a stiff neck, sensitivity to light and may fall into a 
coma.

Meningococcal disease, caused by the bacteria Neisseria 
meningitidis, infects the lining around the brain. Once someone 
becomes sick, without treatment it is always fatal -- even with 
treatment, up to a third of patients die, Fielding said.

 There is a vaccine that can prevent illness, and both the Los 
Angeles County Department of Public Health and the New York City 
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have listed clinics 
offering free vaccines on their websites.

Varma is concerned the outbreak is getting worse. There were a 
total of thirteen known cases of bacterial meningitis among men 
last year (triple the total in 2011). But already in the first 
three months of 2013, four men have been hit, not including 
Shaad and others in Los Angeles.

�Normally people think of an outbreak as a lot of people getting 
sick at one point in time � but here the number of cases is much 
higher than we normally expect,� said Varma.

The rate of meningitis in gay men in New York City has spiked to 
60 times higher than their straight counterparts. Last fall 
health officials advised vaccination for some HIV-positive men, 
but recently expanded the recommendation to include all gay men 
statewide who have �traveled to the City� and �met through an 
online website, digital application ("app"), or at a bar or 
party� since September 1, 2012.

�Many people are scared,� said Anthony Fortenberry, the director 
of nursing at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which serves 
New York�s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

Reports of a strange illness affecting gay men in two major 
cities may conjure images of the early years of AIDS -- as well 
as the stigma that surrounded patients with HIV. But experts are 
quick to note the differences, especially since meningitis 
infection can be stopped.

Dr. Mike Osterholm, the director of the University of 
Minnesota�s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, 
understands the �fear factor,� but �this is very different,� he 
said. �With HIV/AIDS we never had the hope of eliminating it, we 
didn�t even know what was causing it initially. This, we know 
what is causing it. We have vaccines and antibiotics that can 
greatly reduce or eliminate carriage,� and stop the spread of 
the disease, Osterholm said.

At first, the meningitis outbreak in New York City seemed to 
infect only HIV positive men, but by March half of the men 
sickened were HIV negative. Three of the last five men sickened 
have died.

It is unclear why the current outbreak, so far, is affecting 
only gay men. Only two of the men knew each other and there is 
no evidence they infected each other, Varma said.

�Many of the outbreaks happen in settings where a lot of people 
live or socialize together, like college dorms or army 
barracks,� Osterholm said.  �When an outbreak occurs in one of 
these settings, health officials can track down everyone who 
lives in the setting, can vaccinate them and provide 
prophylactic medications.�

Getting the vaccine is not "outing" yourself. �It does not mean 
you are gay or that someone you know is gay. It is about 
protecting yourself,� said Fortenberry.

Osterholm agreed. �This has nothing to do with being gay,� he 
said.

The bacteria is spread by close contact � such as kissing, or 
sharing a toothbrush, a cigarette or even a coffee cup.
To date an estimated 6,700 people have been vaccinated in New 
York City since the start of the outbreak;1,182 people in March 
alone, with an additional  3,357 men vaccinated in Los Angeles 
in a single week, April 15th through April 20th.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently 
recommends that children and teenagers get vaccinated but 
immunity wanes, leaving most adults unprotected. More 
information about meningitis can be found about meningitis on 
the CDC�s website.

Varma warns that the outbreak will likely continue until at-risk 
men get vaccinated. People interested in getting vaccinated can 
find clinics through a website run by New York City�s department 
of health. In Los Angeles, locations for free vaccines for the 
uninsured can be found here.

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/21/17726549-deadly-
meningitis-outbreak-among-gay-men-worries-
officials?lite&google_editors_picks=true

��