Katharina Buczek
Florida State is currently experiencing “one of the worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease” and it’s mainly impacting gay and bi men. So far, twenty-four cases and six deaths among this demographic have been reported.
The two most common meningococcal infections include meningitis and bloodstream infection. Additionally, there are three serogroups of meningococcal bacteria that most commonly cause the disease in the U.S.– groups B, C, and Y.
The CDC issued a statement last week describing the specifics of the outbreak.
“There is a large, ongoing outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease in Florida,” the statement began.
“Recent data show that about half of the cases associated with this outbreak are among Hispanic men. This outbreak is mostly affecting people who live in Florida, but has also affected some people who have traveled to Florida,” the statement continued.
To combat the outbreak, the CDC is encouraging gay and bi men to get a MenACWY vaccine. This meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against all serogroup bacterias.
José R. Romero, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, described how vaccination is essential for protecting this demographic during Pride month.
“Because of the outbreak in Florida and the number of Pride events being held across the state in coming weeks, it is important that gay and bi men who live in Florida get vaccinated,” Romero said.
Additionally, there is also an “unrelated serogroup B meningococcal disease cluster among college and university students” that has been recently reported in Leon Country, Florida.
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