Not saying this is in Thailand yet or will ever be in Thailand ...

Hopefully NOT!

But I can't see the harm in hearing a heads up about what is happening in New York now.

For some bizarre reason, it is targeting MSM (Men who have sex with men) men specifically and can be spread by casual contact, kissing, hugging, etc.

If this should be in the health forum, not the gay forum, then move it of course but I think for now this forum is the best fit.

A new, casually transmittable infection — a unique strain of bacterial meningitis — has cast a pall over the gay night life and dating scene, with men wondering whether this is AIDS,
circa 1981, all over again. Seven men have died in New York City, about
a third of diagnosed cases, since 2010. And in the last few months, the
contagion seemed to be accelerating. It has targeted gay and bisexual
men, and nobody knows exactly why

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/health/for-gay-men-a-fear-that-feels-familiar.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1369044388-H4u6DL0i2H1GzymZtiPzxA

The vaccine for this is available in Thailand here:

Thai Travel Clinic

Hospital for Tropical Diseases
Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University
420/6 Rajvithi Rd, Rajthewi
Bangkok 10400, Thailand

http://www.thaitravelclinic.com/cost.html

It's the Meningococcal conjugate (Menactra).

That is one of the three vaccine options mentioned here as being protective against this threat:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/diseases/cdmen.shtml#10

Not saying MSM men in Thailand should necessary get this jab but if you're planning a slutty trip to NYC, why not?

Thanks, JT. I am not planning a slutty trip to NYC, but I have a slutty friend from NYC who's planning a trip here, so maybe I should check out getting the jab.

Thanks, JT. I am not planning a slutty trip to NYC, but I have a slutty friend from NYC who's planning a trip here, so maybe I should check out getting the jab.

Better that HE gets a jab in New York I reckon.

Of the 22 men infected 12 were HIV positive.

Even allowing for an increased infection rate due to a weakened immune system that's a reasonable indicator that around half of those visiting these "clubs" and having as much unprotected sex with as many different partners as they can are HIV positive.

I recall a thread not too long ago wondering why HIV infections were falling generally but rising amongst MSM. The answer now seems clear, at least as far as New York is concerned.

.

Apparently the mystery that has eluded medical specialists in the USA has just been solved by a poster at thaivisa.com! Contact the CDC pronto.

You do NOT need to be HIV positive to catch this and the medical EXPERTS seem certain it can be passed CASUALLY, even just from HUGGING.

Anyway, planes arrive daily from New York. Well, not direct flights (pedant vaccine).

Do the math.

Also worth noting: just because there is a cluster happening in MSM people in New York does not mean this can't spread to other groups, not only MSM. It sounds like there is a lot of hope on this one as there IS a vaccine and there is action being taken to nip this in the bud among this first known cluster risk group. But the difference of casual transmission is indeed super concerning.

The disease outbreak must be taken in context. There have been a number of schools in North America that have suffered meningitis outbreaks. It happens wherever people are in confined spaces.

Thanks GK, I vaguely remember when I was quite young there was an outbreak at our school. Two children died and there were a few that were very sick. I was a little too young to fully understand what was going on but we were out of school for quite sometime.

One of my playmates and a kid who lived next door died.

Yes, good info. I'd still be concerned about MSM vulnerability in Thailand though, such as at Bangkok saunas.

I am not quite sure whether we are talking about 22 deaths, are we?

While each of these individual deaths is tragic, how many people die of Malaria every day? How many people are killed by violence in the streets of NY or LA every day? How many people die on Thai streets every day due to road accidents?

No, I am not saying that these 22 deaths are not worth reporting, and I support that a follow-up is necessary to contain the problem. But I do want to put it in relation.

I am not quite sure whether we are talking about 22 deaths, are we?

While each of these individual deaths is tragic, how many people die of Malaria every day? How many people are killed by violence in the streets of NY or LA every day? How many people die on Thai streets every day due to road accidents?

No, I am not saying that these 22 deaths are not worth reporting, and I support that a follow-up is necessary to contain the problem. But I do want to put it in relation.

The issue at this point isn't the numbers so much as the potential ease of mass transmission.

Meningitis can be quite contagious and some years back, the death rate was rather high. If I recall, it can also do a fair amount of brain damage to those who live through it.