Free Meningitis Vaccines Offered at Pharmacies in West Hollywood

Free meningitis vaccines will be offered at Aids Healthcare Foundation pharmacies in West Hollywood starting Monday, the organization announced.

The vaccines will be given away in an effort to prevent an outbreak of bacterial meningitis, the deadly disease transmitted through saliva and sexual contact that infected a West Hollywood man last week and left him brain dead.

Seven people have died from the disease in New York and West Hollywood Councilman John Duran said Sunday that the goal of the free vaccinations is to prevent the same thing from occurring here.

"Sometimes what happens in New York replicates itself in Los Angeles and we're trying to avoid that re-occurrence," he said.

Brett Shadd--the West Hollywood man who was recently stricken with meningitis--died on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills, after his family decided to remove him from life support.

According to reports, it is believed that Shaad contracted meningitis while at a party in Palm Springs.

In a press release issued by the family, Shaad was remembered as a "a loving son, brother and grandson, an attorney with a deep passion for social justice, and a dear friend to so many people."

Though a number of gay men have contracted meningitis in New York and now Los Angeles, doctors stressed that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, was equally susceptible to the disease.

"There's no reason a healthy gay man would be more susceptible than anyone else," said  Dr. Otto Yang

Meningitis kills 10 to 15 percent of those who are infected, according to AHF physician Dr. Parveen Kaur. The symptoms of meningitis usually start with fever, intense headaches and neck stiffness. The disease can progress into a rash, she said.

The following locations will be offering the free meningitis vaccine:

• AHF Pharmacy/West Hollywood

8212 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA , 90046

Phone: P: (323) 654-0907       Hours: M-Sat 10am to 7pm, Sun

• AHF Pharmacy/Sunset (Hollywood)

6210 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA , 90028

Phone: P: (323) 860-0173       Hours: M-Sat 10am to 7pm, Sun

• AHF Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center

1300 N. Vermont Ave., Suite 407, Los Angeles, CA , 90027

Phone: P: (866) 339-2525

Hours: Mon-Wed-Thu-Fri, 5:30pm to 9:00pm – Saturday, 9:30am – 5:00pm

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT AHF’s MENINGITIS VACCINE PROGRAM, PLEASE CALL:

• Michael Zimmerman, Program Manager, AHF Hollywood Men’s Wellness Program
• (323) 436-8900 x 5819
• AHF Main Switchboard (323) 860-5200