DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — Officials are offering $20 gift cards to bar patrons who will come in for testing after health screenings linked tuberculosis to five nightclubs in the southeastern Alabama city of Dothan.
The Alabama Department of Public Health says the tests are free and begin Tuesday, with the first 300 participants to get Walmart gift cards.
Officials say multiple cases of pulmonary tuberculosis have been reported in Dothan over the past two years. The department says workers have screened hundreds of people, and they’ve discovered that many who were infected visited nightclubs often.
The agency says it’s encouraging tests for patrons of five clubs: The Blue Bar, Chill Lounge, Club Escape, The G-spot and Imani Loungebar. It says it’s had little success working with the establishments.
Bar owners say they’re cooperating.