Syphilis outbreak reported in Palm Springs, Calif.

An outbreak of syphilis infections among gay and bisexual men in Palm Springs, Calif., has prompted a national health alert because of the likelihood that men who visited the popular desert resort city may have become infected and returned home with the sexually transmitted disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. Palm Springs has one of the nation's highest syphilis infection rates, with 75.5 cases per 100,000 people. The resort community recorded 54 new cases in 2002.