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Meningitis Outbreak In New York's Gay Community Sparks Concern In Philadelphia

By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA  (CBS)  --  Philadelphia's Mazzoni Center has posted a health advisory for gay men who frequently travel to New York City.

The Center's medical director Dr. Robert Winn says the advisory is a response to concerns about a meningitis outbreak in New York's gay community.

There have been no recent cases of meningitis in Philadelphia.

He says there is no reason for concern here, but there have been 12 cases in New York since 2010 but seven of them were fatal and involved gay men.

He says the Center has been getting a lot of calls from men asking if they should get the vaccine.
"What we're recommending based on what's happening in New York is that if you do frequently travel to New York, especially if you are HIV positive, that you have a conversation with your doctor about what your risk is," Dr. Winn says.
Dr. Winn also says the CDC is not recommending the vaccine, even for those who are HIV positive, but patients and their doctors can decide for themselves whether to get the vaccine.

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