Health
Syphilis Emergency Looms in the US as Drugs Run Low
- Illness kills babies and is treatable with drug in shortage
- Syphilis cases rose 32% in 2021 in US from year before
Vials of penicillin.
Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg
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A shortage of penicillin to treat a skyrocketing number of syphilis cases is so dire that US health officials are debating the need to declare a public health emergency, according to people familiar with the matter.
Major US medical centers are rationing the recommended treatment for the deadly sexually transmitted disease because of a supply crunch. From Michigan to Missouri to Texas, some health-care providers are prioritizing giving a key treatment — penicillin G benzathine — to pregnant patients and babies, because the drug can pass through the placenta and also treat the fetus.