NYC bacterial meningitis outbreak concerns health officials

Four NYC men, one of whom has died, have been diagnosed with a potentially fatal type of bacterial meningitis in the last month.

The outbreak alarms health officials as "we have only had 12 cases since 2010," including those four, said a spokeswoman for the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene.

The infected men were between 31 and 42 years old and from "several" boroughs. All were HIV positive. People with HIV are at a higher risk of catching invasive meningococcal disease -- spread via nose and throat fluids -- and dying if they contract it.

Common symptoms of meningitis are a rapidly developing high fever, headache, stiff neck and rash. Individuals with such symptoms or individuals who have had prolonged close contact with infected individuals are urged to seek immediate medical care, so they can be administered a course of antibiotics if indicated.