The discovery of the effectiveness of penicillin changed the approach to the control of venereal diseases both during the war and afterward. As penicillin became widely available, disease rates began to fall. The demands of the war dramatically shortened the time for testing, research, production, and distribution. The rapid deployment of penicillin may have prevented a major venereal-disease epidemic that public-health officials feared would occur during demobilization. After the war public-health officials shifted their attention to identifying and treating preexisting cases of venereal disease. The U.S. Public Health Service sponsored nationwide health campaigns in an attempt to seek out and treat sufferers. Rates of venereal disease quickly dropped. However, the new cures were short-lived. Sulfa-resistant strains of gonococci appeared, and syphilis and gonorrhea developed resistance to penicillin. Both diseases today are rapidly increasing worldwide.

Source:

Allan M. Brandt, No Magic...