MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil distributes 128 million condoms ahead of Carnival festivities

Officials said that by the beginning of the Carnival period, all states in the country will have been supplied.

Brazil’s Ministry of Health has begun to distribute the 128.6 million condoms purchased to guarantee the protection of those who participate in Carnival 2020 later this month. Officials said that by the beginning of the Carnival period, all states in the country will have been supplied.

“We need to increasingly encourage the use of condoms during Carnival to prevent the transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV, since many of these infections have an asymptomatic phase and the person does not even know they have it, and when they show symptoms, as lesions in the genital region, they can facilitate HIV infection”, points out the director of the Department of Chronic Conditions and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Gerson Pereira.

When it comes to public health, condoms are the most effective means of preventing the control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) among the sexually active population, such as HIV – which has no cure -, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, for example. Data from the latest HIV/AIDS epidemiological bulletin show that HIV grows more among young Brazilians. The majority of cases of HIV infection in the country are registered in the range of 20 to 34 years (52.7%).

Infections transmitted through sexual intercourse are caused by more than 30 viruses and bacteria through contact, without the use of condoms, with a person who is infected. Thus, giving up the use of condoms in relationships exposes the person and the partners with whom she relates. Therefore, the Ministry of Health constantly reinforces the need for protection, encouraging the use of condoms, especially during Carnival.