Rodeo attendees told to practise safe sex as STIs continue to rise
Stubby holders promoting condom use have been given away to punters at rodeos in Mount Isa. (ABC News: Abbey Halter)
In short:
Sexually transmitted infections continue to rise in Australia.
In remote populations, infection rates in Indigenous people are up to 19 times higher than non-Indigenous people.
What's next?
In outback Queensland, providers have taken a light-hearted and creative approach to safe sex education.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise across the country and the highest rates are still in remote and Indigenous communities.
In an effort to combat this, health providers in outback Queensland are taking a light-hearted approach to promoting sexual health, hoping a "giggle" can go a long way.
Mount Isa Sexual Health Clinic clinical nurse consultant Bernie Longbottom said transmission rates were high in the region, particularly among the Indigenous population.
"It's very high, which is why we try to get young mob to look after their health and come in and be tested," he said.
Bernie Longbottom says education and reducing stigma is key to lowering STI infection rates. (ABC News: Maddie Nixon)
The Kirby Institute, which publishes annual data on STIs in Australia, said syphilis rates in Indigenous people were three times higher than non-Indigenous people in major cities, but 19 times higher in remote areas.
Gonorrhoea is two times higher among Indigenous people in major cities, and 15 times higher in remote areas.
Mr Longbottom said many people did not realise that some infections had no symptoms, and that others had symptoms that went away over time.
"But once the symptoms go away, there is still underlying effects," he said.
"Then there's reinfections if people are not getting tested."
'Wrap it like a hay bale'
To address this, health services in Mount Isa are taking a creative approach.
"Education is the key … to educate young mob [and] get word out there that this is not a shameful thing," Mr Longbottom said.
Winter is event season in the outback, when rodeos, races and fundraisers bring an influx of tourists to cities like Mount Isa, meaning new faces and "lots of fun to be had".
Bernie Longbottom, Rainah Sills and Shannon Anderson work at Mount Isa Sexual Health Clinic. (ABC News: Maddie Nixon)
Mount Isa Sexual Health Clinic and North West Hospital and Health Service (NWHHS) has been spreading the word about safe sex.
Aboriginal trainee health worker Shannon Anderson said although STIs were serious, sometimes a less serious approach was needed.
This poster promoting safe sex was shared far and wide across social media. (Supplied: NWHHS)
"I think having these light-hearted campaigns makes everyone have a little giggle," Ms Anderson said.
"We're promoting to get checked, be careful, be safe — but have fun at the same time."
A "wrap it like a hay bale" poster was on display Mount Isa Show in June, which was shared on social media.
"It all kind of just blew up," Ms Anderson said.
After that success, the NWHHS team decided to double down during rodeo weekend in August, and characters such as Wazza and his wrangler rash were born.
Alongside its online campaign, the NWHHS hit the rodeo in person, handing out merch to punters.
"We want people to realise that with sexual health, we're all human," Mr Longbottom said.
"Most [of] the 8.5 billion of us are on the planet because of sex — it's just a natural part of life."
The light-hearted health campaign is now ongoing, making an appearance at other Mt Isa events.
'Persistent inequities'
Kirby Institute epidemiologist Skye McGregor said the national data pointed to significant gaps in sexual health testing.
"Among Aboriginal and Torres Islander people, they continue to experience the disproportionate burden of disease," Dr McGregor said.
"What it really points to is persistent inequities and access to health care, including gaps in access to culturally appropriate health care and access to timely testing and treatment."
Mr Longbottom said STIs could lead to other serious health issues, including ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, infections being passed from parent to child, and pelvic inflammatory disease in males and females.
STIs in both non-Indigenous and Indigenous populations were on the rise across the country, Dr McGregor said.
There were 5,866 diagnoses of syphilis and 44,210 diagnoses of gonorrhoea in 2024 in Australia, both double the diagnoses reported 10 years earlier.
Chlamydia is the most frequently notified sexually transmissible infection in Australia, with more than 100,000 cases in 2024.
"Syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea are all bacterial STIs, which can be usually be very easily cured with a simple dose of antibiotics," Dr McGregor said.
"Stigma and discrimination are still pervasive. We need to have regular discussions with our sexual partners and our healthcare providers."