Gay Bar Patrons Get Shots After Meningitis C Death

TORONTO, CANADA - Public Health is urging patrons of a downtown gay bar to get vaccinated against meningitis C after a 23-year-old man died of the infection on Sunday.
An estimated 300 to 500 people who attended Crews & Tango Bar, at 508 Church St., on Nov. 17 and 18 may be at risk, health officials said yesterday.
Barbara Yaffe, director of communicable disease control at Toronto Public Health, noted this is a single case and not an outbreak.
"We're not aware of any other cases at this point."
Toronto Public health would not identify him, but an acquaintance who didn't want to be named told the Toronto Star the young gay man was a recent immigrant from St. Lucia.
His close family members and friends have been contacted and were offered a vaccine. But Rita Shahin, assistant medical officer of health, said it's unlikely anyone else will get meningitis C since there have been no other reported cases in the last 10 days or so. Incubation usually ranges from two to 10 days.
Health officials, wanting to ensure that people who had contact with the infected man at Crews & Tango Bar are protected, are offering a free vaccine clinic today between 3 and 7 p.m. at the 519 Church Street Community Centre.
"If you were at the bar and you shared drinks, cigarettes or a kiss with somebody there — so the possibility of exchanging spit or saliva — you should get the vaccine," Yaffe said. "It will help protect you and it will also help protect your contacts in the future."
Meningitis C is a rare but serious disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. It's found most often in infants less than a year old and in teenagers and young adults, who spread it through saliva.
Between 10 and 15 per cent of people who get meningitis infection will die, and 20 per cent of patients can suffer lasting health problems, such as deafness and mental retardation.
Symptoms include high fever, chills, serious headaches, nausea and vomiting. People may also experience a stiff neck and sensitivity to light, and symptoms may progress to a purplish rash and drowsiness.
Not everyone infected with meningitis gets sick and many adults can develop a natural immunity to it, said Shahin. These people can become carriers but the vaccine can prevent carriers from spreading it.
On average, there are 16 reported cases of meningitis in Toronto annually. About one-third are identified as meningitis C, which is one of the more common strains.
from The Toronto Star