No, not an article from the Onion News....



A US pornography lobbying group is calling for a halt to the filming of X-rated videos as health officials investigate an outbreak of syphilis among performers.

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department announced an investigation into at least five possible cases of syphilis that were reported last week.

Free Speech Coalition spokeswoman Joanne Cachapero said that one performer had tested positive and their sexual partners were being notified, the Associated Press reports.

Ms Cachapero said the group was calling on more than 1000 performers to be tested.

The voluntary, temporary halt on film production is expected to close a multi-billion dollar industry "until the risk to performers in the industry has been properly assessed and all performers have been tested," the trade association said in a statement.

Because the illness can be difficult to detect, the trade group's medical experts have ordered preventative shots of antibiotics for performers.

After performers get the shots, they can go back to work within 10 days, according to Ms Cachapero.

County public health spokeswoman Sarah Kissell acknowledged the investigation but did not provide details of its scope or an update of its findings.

Source:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8519626/syphilis-outbreak-halts-us-porn-filming