Sexually transmitted infections: impact in the remote and overseas environment
Abstract
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and remote areas workers have a direct relationship more so than in other workforces. Overseas and migrant workers appear to be affected by these types of infectious diseases in greater numbers than in other workforces (apart from the commercial sex industry) for a differing number of reasons. The relative loneliness and isolation, being away from spouses or regular partners for long periods of time, and relative high disposable income associated with the work all contribute to a large proportion of workers engaging in risky sexual practices whilst away on projects.
The contracting of these infectious diseases obviously has a cost to the worker, their families, health services, and also to their employer in terms of family cohesion, treatment, and possible lost productivity/time. It is important that greater preventative measures are required to ease the suffering and cost to all concerned.
Numerous studies have shown links between workers in remote or overseas locations and an increased susceptibility to contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) (Jones, 2000). Workers find themselves sometimes travelling long distances to work (either ‘fly-in fly-out’ or by overland travel), spending long periods of time away from home whilst earning relatively large sums of money for doing so (Hudson, 1996; Parish et al, 2003; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2006). The majority of these transient workers are male and all of the above factors combined predispose the workers to engage in risky behaviour whilst away from home. Increased risk-taking is predominantly a male trait in overseas workers, as evident in a variety of studies amongst oil workers, long-haul drivers and even aid workers, but it is not solely exclusive to males (The Synergy Project and University of Washington Center for Health Education and Research (UWCHER), 2000; Dahlgren et al, 2009).
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