Three Gay Men Die From Deadly Form Of Meningitis In California

Health officials are concerned about a deadly strain of meningitis that is making its way around Los Angeles County.

Three men are dead after contracting invasive meningococcal disease, a highly contagious form of meningitis, the county's Department of Public Health said Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The fatalities were part of eight cases of the same disease that were reported earlier this week.

Four of those sick were gay men and three were HIV-positive, NBC News reported. Of those four cases, three died. The victims were 27 or 28-years-old, the LA Times reported.

Three of the four cases are reported to live or socialize in West Hollywood or North Hollywood, NBC News reported.

"This does cause us some concern," West Hollywood City Councilman Josh Duran told NBC News. "It's not a sexually transmitted disease but it is casually transmitted through saliva droplets."

Invasive meningococcal disease is formed from a bacterial infection that can spread throughout the body, including the blood, brain and spinal cord, the LA times reported. The disease is sometimes fatal.

In addition to spreading from exchanging saliva, it can infect those exposed to sneezes and coughs from someone already sick, according to the DPH.

Those who are HIV positive are also susceptible to the disease. But it is unclear why the disease is more common in gay men, Robert Bolan, medical director at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, told the LA Times.

"I think the important thing to understand is this is not an epidemic," Bolan told the newspaper. "But there's a pretty strong signal that men who have sex with men, at least those who are HIV positive, are at increased risk for invasive meningococcal disease."

As of Thursday, Los Angeles County is offering free vaccinations to those without health insurance.