101 mil. free condoms at Rio Carnival

Consider the number 101 million. It is a rather large number for whatever it is. But condoms?

Yes. It is the number of free condoms that will be distributed at the annual Rio Carnival, the Brazilian health authorities said Tuesday. The carnival begins Feb. 28 for a week-long run.

Why the fiasco? Quite simply, it is party time and there are reportedly 340,000 HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) carriers in Brazil with the United Nations putting the estimated at over half a million.

Consequently, the Brazilian health authorities decided to make condoms readily available at carnival sites throughout the country, particularly Rio de Janeiro.

They said tests have shown that at least 160,000 Brazilians are not even aware of the fact they are HIV positive, meaning they could engage in mindless unprotected sex which will worsen the infection.

In addition to the carnival, the health authorities are also preparing a huge number of condoms to be distributed during the upcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The carnival itself is a global event that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists with events being broadcast in 160 countries around the world.