Southern California On Alert Over Meningococcal Outbreak
Nine cases have been detected in Orange and Los Angeles counties since May. Most of the patients affected have been gay or bisexual men, and public health officials are advising those who may be at increased risk to get a a meningitis vaccination.
Los Angeles Times:
Meningococcal Outbreak In Los Angeles And Orange Counties Triggers Health Warning
A man’s death was linked to an invasive meningococcal outbreak affecting gay and bisexual men in Southern California, public health officials said Friday. The rare disease was first identified in May and since then, nine men in Los Angeles and Orange counties have fallen ill with a meningococcal infection, according to Dr. Karen Smith, public health officer for the California Department of Public Health. Most of the men were gay or bisexual. One of them has died from the infection. (Rocha, 6/14)
Orange County Register:
State Health Officials Warn Of Southern California Meningococcal Outbreak
Nine cases of meningococcal disease have been detected in men in Orange and Los Angeles counties since May, including in one Orange County patient who died from the infection, health officials said Friday. In an advisory, the California Department of Public Health warned that the outbreak of the rare disease primarily shows up in adult gay and bisexual men, and that people with HIV are at particular risk. It can cause meningitis and bloodstream infections, said Dr. Matt Zahn, medical director of epidemiology and assessment at the Orange County Health Care Agency. (Bharath, 6/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Meningococcal Outbreak Prompts SF Warning On Pride Weekend
A meningococcal outbreak in Southern California that has mostly infected gay men prompted San Francisco health officials Friday to issue a warning on the eve of Pride weekend and a plea for people to get inoculated against the disease. The warning came after state health officials announced that nine people in the Los Angeles and Orange County area have tested positive for the bacterial disease, which is spread through nose and throat secretions. One of them died from the infection. “Here in San Francisco it is Pride week, with lots of visitors from around the state, the country and the world coming to town to celebrate,” Dr. Naveena Bobba, deputy health officer for San Francisco, said in a statement. (Veklerov, 6/24)
LA Daily News:
1 Dead, 8 Others Infected In Recent SoCal Meningococcal Disease Outbreak
State and local health officials issued alerts Friday following an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease across Southern California that has killed one man and infected eight others. Since the beginning of May, nine meningococcal disease cases have been identified in men living in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Most of the men identify as gay or bisexual, California public health officials said. Four of the nine cases were among men who live in Los Angeles County, while the five additional cases were reported from two neighboring health jurisdictions, officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health noted in their own alert. (Abram, 6/24)