| In a US county, an unlikely group is helping in the fight | | | | strategy that will do two things. Firstly get people to |
| to increase Chlamydia testing: both Wal-Mart and | | | | have tests and secondly show the two retailers |
| McDonald's are helping health authorities in NC | | | | what can be done to stimulate more trade for them. |
| increase the rate of testing for Chlamydia. | | | | It may well be that in the future they will donate the |
| The Idea | | | | gift cards in the hope that once in the shops, people |
| To try and combat the sharp increase in people with | | | | will spend more money on other things. |
| STD, health authorities in North Carolina are going | | | | Similar Schemes |
| door-to-door and offering $10 gift vouchers in return | | | | This is not a new idea, in the UK, authorities offered |
| for a blood sample. The recession has seen an | | | | free tests to young people in return for being |
| increase in infection rates as people are partaking in | | | | entered into prize drawers where they had the |
| dangerous activities. | | | | opportunity to win iPods and other gifts. |
| So the authorities hope that the lure of a $10 gift | | | | In Summary.... |
| card for one of the retail giants will encourage | | | | The greatest irony about this story is not the fact |
| enough people to give blood samples and hopefully | | | | that big corporations make money out of this, it is |
| take treatment if it is found that they have a STD. | | | | the fact that people are more interested in getting |
| Although Wal-Mart and McDonald's have not donated | | | | $10 off a Big Mac than worrying about their own |
| the gift vouchers (the state paid for them out of | | | | well-being! |
| allocated funds from the government), this is a neat | | | | |