Meningitis strikes Toronto's gay community

SUMMARY: Public health officials in Toronto, Canada, are warning of an outbreak of bacterial meningitis -- a potentially life-threatening illness -- in the city's gay community.

Public health officials in Toronto, Canada, are warning of an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in the city's gay community.

At a press conference Monday, Dr. Sheela Basrur, Toronto's top public health officer, confirmed that five cases of meningitis have been reported among gay and bisexual men in Toronto over the last two months, killing two. The city has seen 22 cases of the disease so far this year.

Basrur said representatives of the city's health department are to meet with officials from the Ontario state government to discuss the possibility of a mass vaccination campaign in Toronto's gay community, the Canadian Web site 365Gay.com reported.

Meningitis is an infection causing inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and can be caused either by a virus or bacteria. Although the initial symptoms of viral and bacterial meningitis are similar, the viral version is less serious and symptoms usually disappear within two weeks. The bacterial version, though, requires immediate treatment and can be life-threatening. Exposure to an infected person is not necessarily cause for alarm -- most adults are naturally immune to the disease.

Meningitis is spread through saliva, usually by kissing or sharing food, drinks, cigarettes or any sexual acts involving saliva contact (oral sex, rimming, etc.), according to Toronto Public Health, a city agency.

Some of the men infected may have recently visited Toronto-area bathhouses. Toronto Public Health is asking that anyone who has visited a Toronto bathhouse since May visit a doctor and be on the lookout for symptoms of the infection, which may include: fever, severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, a change in mental status or alertness (drowsiness, confusion, irritability, etc.), muscle pain, skin rash or convulsions.