Doctors are reporting an increase in the number of FIFO workers contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
It is reportedly due to a ‘boom town mentality’ causing bored workers to behave recklessly and have unprotected sex during holidays in South East Asia, according to The West.
Australian Medical Association WA chief Dave Mountain stated that evidence is showing increasing numbers of FIFO are having dangerous unprotected sex during their time off.
“When you have boom town conditions, it tends to cause people to behave in a slightly more uninhibited fashion," Mountain explained.
"Particularly when there are people with a lot of time on their hands and they want to spend money … they take part in behaviours they would never do at home.
"I suspect that FIFO, although it's not much of a holiday, induces a similar sort of disconnection from your normal … restraints or your normal behaviour patterns.”
Mountain called on mining companies to help local health workers address the problem.
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