The drug is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only one recommended for pregnant people. But a shortage of the injectable drug has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.
Unless mothers are treated during pregnancy, newborns can sicken, die or face lifelong disabilities. The CDC is urging public health providers to connect more people to testing and medication.
The country nearly eradicated this treatable sexually transmitted disease twice, only to see it come roaring back. The failure shows the weakness of a cash-strapped public health system.
