Three Los Angeles County Men Die due to Invasive Meningococcal Disease

Three men in Los Angeles have died due to meningitis outbreak in gay community in the region. All three men had sex with other men and two of them were HIV positive

The deaths were confirmed Thursday by a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Reuters reported. The men were in their late 20s.

The department had earlier found that there were some eight invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases in Los Angeles County in 2014. The number of annual IMD cases in Los Angeles county in the past few years has been around 12 and 37, Reuters reported.

Health officials had issued a statement Wednesday saying that all men who have sex with men must get vaccinated against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD).

"All HIV-positive MSM and all MSM, regardless of HIV status, who regularly have close or intimate contact with multiple partners, or who seek partners through the use of digital applications, particularly those who share cigarettes, marijuana or use illegal drugs, should visit their health provider to be vaccinated against invasive meningococcal disease," said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer in a statement posted Wednesday. 

Michael Weinstein, executive director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, told the Los Angeles Daily News that the department was "insensitive" as it didn't announce the death earlier, Bloomberg reported.

Invasive Menningococcal disease is caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitides and can affect the entire body. The disease can cause brain damage and even death. Symptoms of an infection include high fever, stiffness in the neck, skin rash, headache and low blood pressure.  The disease usually takes five days to develop after exposure, but may take as many as ten days before any symptoms appear.

The disease doesn't spread via casual contact and is usually seen in people indulging in high-risk activities such as smoking marijuana or tobacco, staying in close contact with a person with IMD infection or staying in dorms or jails.