Despite ongoing meningitis outbreak, vaccinations low among gay men, study shows

Despite a yearlong outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease in Southern California primarily affecting gay and bisexual men, less than 27 percent of men who have sex with men in Los Angeles County have been vaccinated for meningitis.The findings released today by the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center in collaboration with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, the Los Angeles LGBT Center and AIDS Project Los Angeles Health call for more education about the disease and more places offering immunization throughout Southern California at venues where gay and bisexual men socialize.More than 500 men were interviewed about their knowledge of the meningitis outbreak by UCLA Luskin ’s Ian Holloway, an assistant professor of social welfare, and teams of researchers who  visited venues throughout Los Angeles County. Most of the canvassers were current UCLA students or recent graduates.“Our rapid-response research suggests that coordinated efforts to standardize data collection about sexual practices in conjunction with immunization will enable better tracking of meningitis vaccination among gay and bisexual men,” said Holloway, who is also director of the UCLA Luskin-based Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center.Meningococcal disease is often characterized with sudden onset of high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, stiff neck and confusion, which can lead to rapid septic shock and death if not treated quickly. Vaccination is highly effective ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news