Free Meningitis Vaccines at AHF’s Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center

AHF’s Men’s Wellness Center/Hollywood, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center are all offering free meningitis vaccines in response to a deadly outbreak in Los Angeles County that has killed three gay men or MSM since February of this year.

HEALTH NOTE: The meningitis vaccine provides protection for five (5) years, so any individual who may have been vaccinated in April 2013—when there was a similar meningitis outbreak that also killed three Southern California gay men last year—does NOT need to get a booster shot or be re-vaccinated now.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to a new outbreak of meningitis cases found among Los Angeles area gay men and men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) that has resulted in the deaths of three of the four MSM since February of this year, Los Angeles County health officials are recommending that HIV-positive MSM and “high-risk” HIV-negative MSM be vaccinated against the infection. County officials suggest the following as candidates for vaccination: "All HIV-positive MSM and all MSM, regardless of HIV status, who regularly have close or intimate contact with multiple partners, or who seek partners through the use of digital applications, particularly those who share cigarettes, marijuana or use illegal drugs, should visit their health provider to be vaccinated against invasive meningococcal disease.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be offering free meningitis vaccines at its Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center:

• AHF Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center
  (On the campus of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, formerly known as Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center)
  1300 N. Vermont Ave., Suite 407, Los Angeles CA 90027
  Phone: P: [phone]
  Hours: Mon-Wed-Thu-Fri, 5:30pm to 9:00pm – Saturday, 9:30am – 5:00pm

• PLEASE NOTE AHF MEN’S WELLNESS CENTER IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

WHAT: PRESS AVAILABILITY OVER THE WEEKEND

CONTACTS:

• Ged Kenslea, AHF Sr. Dir. of Communications [phone] cell [e-mail]

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will also be offering free meningococcal vaccine to LA County residents without health insurance. For a listing of clinics, please call the LA County Information Line at 2-1-1 from any cell phone or land line in the county or visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/.

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 300,000 individuals in 32 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare.