With the death last week of Angeleno Brett Shaad, 33, from meningitis and a particularly deadly strain of the meningococcal disease appearing in gay men in New York City, health activists and others are cautioning against a wave of panic in a community familiar with the ravages of disease.
San Diego LGBT Weekly spoke with Dr. Delores Jacobs, the CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center, and Dr. Christian B. Ramers, MD, MPH, and the assistant medical director for Special Populations at Family Health Centers of San Diego to try and gain a better understanding of the disease, how to prevent becoming infected and what to do if you do become infected.
First and foremost, Dr. Jacobs illuminated, “This is not a sexually transmitted disease.” Meningitis starts as inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the spinal cord and brain. It is why, many health specialists will tell you, that some of the chief symptoms to first appear are intense headaches and stiff necks. But because the inflammation is in such close proximity to the brain, it can turn deadly quite quickly if left untreated.
Other symptoms, explains Dr. Ramers, include “fever, confusion or loss of consciousness, lethargy, or a red or purple rash that does not turn white when you press your finger on it.” As with any unusual health signs, both Jacobs and Ramers urge you to seek out the attention of a health care professional immediately.
Meningitis is spread, adds Dr. Ramers, through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions or through close contact with a person infected with meningitis. This includes kissing, hugging, or sharing food and drinks (and, of course, sex).
When asked what one of the biggest myths about the disease was, both agreed that, although there is a vaccination against meningitis, vaccination is not the best choice for everyone. There are two different vaccines available that can protect against meningitis. Routine adult vaccination is not recommended at this time, even among the MSM community, or for those infected with HIV. It is normally recommended for teenagers and those who live in communal living situations like a college dorm or military barracks.
However, like many health issues, it’s important to be aware of any symptoms you may have and talk to your provider about what’s best for you. Vaccination can be considered based on a thorough assessment of your individual risk factors.
And although a report issued on Wednesday by the County News Center initially claimed that only two cases of the meningococcal disease had been confirmed so far this year, now public health authorities confirm there have been five cases diagnosed in San Diego County in 2013. These cases do not appear to be related to each other, and this is still a relatively low number of cases considering our population of three million people.
It is also important to know that while symptoms may occur anywhere from two to ten days upon infection, most infected people begin to see signs in about five days.
The fear, of course, is that the public will once again perceive the meningitis outbreak as a ‘gay thing’ despite the fact that it is an equal-opportunity infection. And while the particularly virulent strain being seen in New York has some alarmed, statistics point to a very different picture.
In 1913, according to a report on TheAtlantic.com, “bacterial meningitis was nearly 100 percent fatal. Now that rate is around 16 percent in the U.S. Not more than a few hundred people in the country are diagnosed with bacterial meningitis every year, and most who die from it are older.”
Family Health Centers of San Diego’s mission is to provide caring, affordable, high quality health care to everyone, with a special commitment to people who are low income, uninsured, and medically underserved. They are the largest provider of HIV/AIDS outreach, prevention, testing and treatment services in San Diego County. Visit fhcsd.org
