West Hollywood Man Brain Dead Due to Meningitis, City Officials Ask Residents to Take Precautions

A West Hollywood resident who contracted meningitis about a week ago was declared brain-dead Friday, prompting warnings from city and health officials for gay men and other residents to beware of the dangers of the illness and take precautions to avoid infection.

Update: The man is 33-year-old West Hollywood resident Bret Shaad.

At an afternoon news conference at City Hall, Councilman John Duran warned that the man's health deteriorated rapidly after he was diagnosed with meningitis a week ago. Duran announced late this afternoon via Twitter that the man had died.

Update: Duran's statement has not been confirmed by any other news outlet.

"We don't want to panic people, but we learned 30 years ago the consequences of delay in the response to AIDS,'' Duran said. "We are sounding the alarm that sexually active gay men need to be aware that we have a strain of meningitis that is deadly on our hands.''

Duran noted that the man attended the White Party in Palm Springs the weekend of March 30-31, an event widely attended by gay men from California and beyond. He also said the man was a member of the Equinox gym in West Hollywood, and people who may have had contact with him should consider being checked.

The bacteria that causes meningitis is not as contagious as the common cold, but it can be spread through coughing or kissing, officials said.

People who contract the illness can suffer from fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and increased sensitivity to light.