The New York State Department of Health is urging gay men who are HIV positive to get vaccinated in the wake of a recent meningitis outbreak in the city.

The department recommended Friday that all HIV-infected men who have had sex in the city since the beginning of September get vaccinated. Vaccinations are available at city medical centers.

The city said the outbreak is completely unrelated to a national outbreak that may be caused by contaminated steroid medications.

Doctors are scrambling to notify patients in more than 20 states that routine injections they received for back pain in recent months may have been contaminated with deadly fungal meningitis.

The steroid in question was given between July and September.

So far, five people died after contracting fungal meningitis. More then three dozen across the country are sick.