“If there is a party, a big party or a small party, you have to go with a condom”. Here is the antiphon that we can hear on Brazilian airwaves. This slogan broadcast since Wednesday will loop during the Rio Carnival (February 28 to March 4) and until the final whistle of the football world cup (June 12 to July 13).
The Brazilian health ministry at the origin of these awareness messages is clearly positioning itself in the field of AIDS prevention. For this, he does not skimp on communication and concrete actions: until the beginning of March, 104 million condoms will be distributed free to Brazilians to remind them to protect themselves during these festive high masses of the World Cup and the Rio Carnival. .
The government is reiterating an operation that in 2013 had already made it possible to offer 610 million condoms throughout the country, which has 200 million inhabitants.
Free screening tests
In addition to condoms, efforts will also be made to offer free AIDS screening tests that allow a diagnosis to be obtained in a few minutes. “We want to step up prevention with the use of condoms and rapid AIDS tests,” the Minister of Health told AFP.
In Brazil, “150,000 Brazilians are carriers of the virus [du VIH] and ignore it “, according to figures from the Ministry of Health. The country is a model in the global fight against this virus since it gives free treatment to anyone diagnosed with HIV. 340,000 people benefit from treatment against HIV now.
