July 10--Local public health officials on Thursday said they have confirmed the sixth case of Invasive Meningococcal disease in Chicago and the seventh in Illinois.
The outbreak of Invasive Meningococcal Disease, which can lead to meningitis, has affected men who have sex with men since its outbreak in early June, according to a statement by Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Julie Morita.
"Even though the number of cases is small, due to the severity of disease, we must continue our intensive, focused response," said Morita in a statement.
Officials said the majority of the people with the disease have been identified as African-American gay men.
She called on people to be vaccinated against the disease.
"We know that vaccination is the best tool to end this outbreak and we continue to partner with local community advocates and health care providers to find and vaccinate our most vulnerable residents."
On Thursday, Morita met with a group of aldermen from the LGBT and African-American caucuses and members of the Health committee to discuss efforts to raise awareness of the disease and to share vaccination efforts.
Over the past month, local public health officials have distributed 11,000 vaccines to community partners and have given vaccines to 5,190 people.
For a list of vaccination locations follow the link.
