Meningitis Not 'a Gay Disease'
After the death of a homosexual man in West Hollywood this weekend, a city councilman conjured and addressed potential homophobic misunderstanding. Bacterial meningitis is an equal-opportunity pestilence.
"Bacterial meningitis is indeed no more a "gay disease" than the flu would be if there happened to be an outbreak in a gay community. The two spread in the same basic ways -- meningitis infection comes in through your nose and mouth -- except that the flu is more contagious, so it would rapidly break out of an identified community. Nothing about being gay makes one inherently more or less prone to meningitis; likewise nor does being straight lower risks. The bacteria spreads from respiratory secretions, kissing, sharing food, and generally being in very close contact with someone who has it.
Just because some high profile stories are getting media attention and calling us to note the relatively high number of cases among gay men in recent years, it's important to emphasize that it happens everywhere to everyone."
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