Porn stars and the 2012 Syphilis outbreak: what happened

In July and August 2012, performers in the Los Angeles adult film industry tested positive for Syphilis. The industry’s trade body, the Free Speech Coalition, called a production moratorium, which stopped filming while performers were tested.

Reports at the time gave different numbers. The industry’s testing service confirmed two cases, while Los Angeles County’s public health department said at least nine performers had tested positive.

Nearly 300 performers were tested and given antibiotics as a precaution in the first week. Performers who were treated at the start could return to work with a clear test from 1 September 2012.

Since the outbreak, the industry has changed how it tests performers, and there have been votes on condoms:

• In August 2012, the industry added Syphilis to the tests performers had every month.
• In November 2012, 57% of voters in Los Angeles County backed Measure B, which requires condoms in adult films made there. It became law in December 2012, and a federal appeals court upheld the condom rule in 2014.
• From September 2013, performers had to test every 14 days to be cleared for work. The industry’s testing system, now called PASS, checks for 7 STIs, including Syphilis.
• In 2016, California voters rejected Proposition 60, which would have required condoms in adult films across the state, by 53.7% to 46.3%.

When a performer tests positive, the industry can still pause filming while doctors find out who else may have been exposed.

Syphilis spread among performers, which shows a few things that apply to everyone:

• You can have Syphilis without knowing. The first sign is usually a single painless sore, which you may not notice if it’s inside the vagina, bottom or mouth.
• Symptoms can go away by themselves, but the infection stays in your body until it’s treated.
• A negative test isn’t always the final answer. A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test.
• Condoms lower the risk, but a sore on skin that isn’t covered can still pass Syphilis on.

Read more in “Can you pass on Syphilis without a sore?”

Syphilis is still common in England:

• There were 8,262 diagnoses of infectious Syphilis in 2025, 13.5% fewer than in 2024.
• Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men made up about 6 in 10 diagnoses. Their diagnoses fell by 18.7%, to the lowest level since 2016.
• Diagnoses rose by 4.8% among women who have sex with men.

In 2022, the number of diagnoses was the highest since 1948, and it rose again in 2023 and 2024. Across the EU and EEA, Syphilis rates more than doubled between 2015 and 2024, and cases have been rising among heterosexual men and women since 2021.

Syphilis usually starts with a painless sore where the infection got in, about 3 weeks after infection, although it can take anywhere from 9 to 90 days. Later symptoms can include a rash, often on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, and flu-like symptoms. Without treatment, Syphilis can cause serious long-term problems.

Syphilis is cured with antibiotics. Early Syphilis is usually treated with a single penicillin injection, or a 14-day course of doxycycline tablets if you can’t have penicillin. Don’t have sex until 2 weeks after you and your partner have finished treatment. Having Syphilis once doesn’t make you immune, so you can catch it again. Read more in “What does a Syphilitic sore look like?”

UK guidance recommends an STI test, including Syphilis, once a year and after a new partner. Test every 3 months if you’re at higher risk, for example if you have several or anonymous partners, or you’re a gay or bisexual man having sex without condoms with new or casual partners.

A standard UK sexual health screen includes a Syphilis blood test. Get tested straight away if you notice a sore, a rash or other symptoms, even if they’ve gone.

Better2Know offers:

• Syphilis blood test: from 9 days after sex, with results in 1 day, at one of our clinics, with a home test kit or with a nurse visit.
• Blemish Screen: if you have a sore, a swab tests it for Syphilis, Herpes 1, Herpes 2 and HPV, with results in 5 days.
• Peace of Mind: checks for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis from 14 days after sex, with results in 2 days.
• Full Screen: tests for 7 infections, including Syphilis, HIV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, from 28 days after sex, with results in 3 days. If you test before 45 days, a negative HIV result needs a repeat test.

A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test. Not sure which test you need? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Do porn performers still get tested for STIs?

Yes. In the US adult film industry, performers need a clear test every 14 days to work, including tests for Syphilis. Regular testing lowers the risk, but it can’t pick up every recent infection.

Can you get Syphilis from oral sex?

Yes. You can catch Syphilis through contact with a Syphilis sore, including one inside the mouth, during vaginal, anal or oral sex.

Can you catch Syphilis again after treatment?

Yes. Treatment cures Syphilis, but it doesn’t make you immune, so you can catch it again. Your partners need testing and treatment too.

The 2012 outbreak showed how easily Syphilis spreads. The same lessons apply to everyone: Syphilis often goes unnoticed, early tests can miss it, and it’s easily treated once it’s found.

Book a Syphilis blood test at a clinic near you or order a home test kit from 9 days after sex. Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Not in the UK? Choose your country from the selector at the top of the page for local tests and prices.

This article originally appeared on 30 August 2012 and was last updated on 30 September 2026.

This article is general information and not a substitute for personal medical advice.

Sources

1. XBIZ, APHSS: two confirmed syphilis-positive performers, 22 August 2012. http://www.xbiz.com/news/153058
2. XBIZ, APHSS: STI testing, treatments proceed, 28 August 2012. https://www.xbiz.com/news/153293/aphss-sti-testing-treatments-proceed
3. XBIZ, APHSS doctors identify syphilis test with 14-day window period, 29 August 2012. https://www.xbiz.com/news/153347/aphss-doctors-identify-syphilis-test-with-14-day-window-period
4. XBIZ, FSC to lift production moratorium Friday, announces 14-day testing window, 16 September 2013. https://www.xbiz.com/news/168997/fsc-to-lift-production-moratorium-friday-announces-14-day-testing-window
5. Free Speech Coalition, Moratorium FAQs, 2014. https://www.freespeechcoalition.com/blog/blog/2014/08/28/moratorium-faqs/
6. Free Speech Coalition PASS, FAQ. https://fscpass.com/faq
7. League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, Smart Voter: Measure B, Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act, 2012. http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/la/meas/B/
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16. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, UK guidelines for the management of syphilis, 2024. https://bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/syphilis_2024.pdf
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