Here's a Condom, Use It Says Rio's Health Officials

Carnival is to the people of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil what Mardi Gras is for us, here in the US.

It's a big deal. That means: festive costumes (they've got hot pants, feathers, and sequins; we have beads, beads, and more beads), an abnormally excessive intake of alcohol, usually taken with its attendant vice, lots of fried food, and joyful cries of exuberance that means the party has started.

The unfortunate situation that can sometimes occur at such moments of revelry, is that the partygoers can be too focused on having too good of a time (in every sense of the word) without too much attention to consequence. Brazil is doing something about one such aspect by handing out 55 million condoms to the party people of of its famous city when Rio's Carnival kicks off next week.

Brazilian health officials want to remind people to practice safe sex, no matter what parade you're marching in: gay, straight or otherwise.

The slogan this year, is straightforward enough (and, one imagines even better sounding in Portuguese) to do the trick:

"The condom. For love, passion or just sex. Always use it."

As worldwide numbers of AIDS rise (33 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to amFAR, with 1.7 million new HIV infections in Latin America in 2007), the message is clear. We can't keep the party going if we don't have the right party favors.

Free condoms by the government is a great place to start, obrigado, Brazil.

Photo courtesy of SfMission@Flickr