Brett Shaad Death: Public Health Officials Call For Meningitis Vaccine To ‘At-Risked’ Men

By Brian Hews 

The death of West Hollywood Attorney Brett Shaad from complications of the highly contagious meningitis virus has resulted in a swift response from Aids Healthcare Foundation on Sunday.

AHF Chairman Michael Weinstein said

AHF to offer FREE MENINGITIS VACCINES in response to deadly meningitis cases among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM)—Vaccine to be offered at AHF Pharmacy locations (West Hollywood and Hollywood) and AHF’s Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center.

in a press conference that free meningitis vaccines will be offered by the organizations pharmacy locations in West Hollywood and Hollywood, as well as one additional location.

“As a public health outreach, AHF will now offer the meningitis vaccine for free at our Hollywood and West Hollywood AHF Pharmacy sites and at our Hollywood Men’s Wellness Center to anyone who thinks that they are at risk or have had exposure,” said Weinstein.

“We are prepared to offer up to 10,000 vaccinations for free at these three AHF locations and will consider adding additional AHF sites should there be a need or demand. It is my hope that the Health Department of the County of Los Angeles and CDC will also step up to the plate long before we get to those levels, if there is found to be a need to do so,” Weinstein told reporters.

“The progression of this man’s infection (Brett Shaad) from his likely exposure to his placement on life support demonstrates meningococcal meningitis can be a very rapid and deadly disease,” said Otto Yang, M.D., Scientific Director for AIDS Healthcare Foundation and an Infectious Diseases physician.

“However, the chance of a large-scale outbreak of this disease is relatively small, and getting infected usually requires close personal contact and exposure to body fluids of an infected person. Like the case of a healthy high school student in Palisades High school who died of meningococcal meningitis a couple of years ago, this is most likely one of the isolated cases that pop up in the US every year.  That said, this tragedy serves as a reminder that people who believe they are at risk should get the vaccine, which is very safe and effective, and prophylactic antibiotics if they may have had a significant recent exposure.  Persons at highest risk are those who have close exposures to many persons, such as students in dormitories or military personnel in barracks, and persons with weakened immune systems.  There is the precedent of an outbreak in MSM in New York, however.  With our outreach and free vaccinations, we want to promote caution and education, and prevent unnecessary concern or panic in the community,” Yang warned.

Below is a list of locations where the free meningitis vaccinations will be provided:

• 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

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