Brazil To Distribute 25M Condoms During Carnival Festivities as Part of Efforts To Stem HIV/AIDS Epidemic
The Brazilian Ministry of Health's National Program for Sexually Transmitted Diseases plans to distribute 25 million condoms at no cost during the 2006 Carnival festivities, scheduled to take place Feb. 25-28, as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, ministry officials on Monday said, Reuters reports (Reuters, 2/6). The number of condoms to be distributed during this year's festivities is more than double the 11 million condoms distributed during last year's Carnival, according to the government news agency Radiobras (Associated Press, 2/6). Nongovernmental organizations will distribute the condoms at parades, dances, parties, hospitals, health stations and on the streets during the four days of the festival. The ministry aims to distribute at least 1.5 billion condoms throughout 2006, up from 251 million in 2005 and 154 million in 2004, Agencia Brasil reports (Lobo, Agencia Brasil, 2/7).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.