Wal-Mart and McDonald’s — icons of American business, archenemies of mom and pop businesses everywhere and havens to penny pinchers — are taking on a new role: syphilis fighters.

Due to a tripling of STDs since 2008 in Forsyth County, N.C., an unlikely partnership between the American super chains and local health officials has emerged, according to Brian Alexander’s MSNBC article, “New tool to fight syphilis? Wal-Mart gift cards.”

Confronting the problem, health officials began an incentive program for people to get tested. By a stroke of genius, they sent workers door-to-door providing blood tests in exchange for $10 gift cards to either Wal-Mart or McDonald’s.

The recent rise in STDs is thought to possibly be a result of the recession. When times are rough, more people resort to dangerous activities, such as selling sex for money or having unprotected sex.

So it only seems logical to combat the negative effects of the recession by giving away money to spend at two companies recognized for their low prices, right?

I know many of you reading this are thinking, “Down with the man! Why support those companies when they, according to America.gov, are the only two out of the 30 that make up the Dow Jones industrial stock index that is still profiting during the recession?”

But I say, bravo Forsyth County, bravo!

We must look deeper here. I’m not praising Wal-Mart and McDonald’s specifically, because they didn’t donate the gift cards (they were purchased by the state using federal dollars), but I do think that it was clever of North Carolina to try this route.

In a recession, states need to allocate their funds wisely. Spending money on important health issues, and more importantly prevention of health issues, is a valuable place to put those federal dollars.

Other countries have also flirted with the idea and are seeing the benefit of establishing incentive programs. Britain’s National Health Service began giving 18- to 24-year-olds free chlamydia testing kits.

Chlamydia is the No. 1 STD in England, and those who took the test were entered into drawings to win iPods, Wiis or vacations.

While $10 gift cards aren’t that extravagant, apparently they’re working — so many people got tested that they actually ran out of them.

Given these facts, we need to recognize that the real tragedy isn’t in supporting monstrous corporations, it’s that people aren’t concerned enough about their personal health to want to get examined on their own.

I’m willing to bet that most of those tested were more excited to be getting a free Big Mac combo meal than being reassured that they don’t have syphilis, but maybe that’s another column entirely.

North Carolina will soon be safe from the venereal disease once again, and the thanks can go to McFlurrys and rock-bottom priced toasters.

It seems that Wal-Mart’s slogan, “Save money. Live better,” has a double meaning, and “I’m lovin’ it.”

Reach Erica at erica.tiffany@asu.edu.