Health officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are racing to vaccinate gay men for meningitis, as a growing outbreak in the region appears to be hitting them particularly hard. Officials in L.A. County have been providing free doses to local clinics and LGBT organizations, reminding all gay men they should be inoculated. “We’re trying to blanket the world with that information,” said Dr. Franklin Pratt, medical director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s immunization program. Public health officials are playing catch-up when it comes to understanding meningitis outbreaks nationwide. Over the past month, the L.A. County Health Department distributed 3,300 doses of the meningitis vaccine, compared with almost none in a typical month, Pratt said.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 12, 2016 23:14 UTC