500 000 condoms ready for Angolan carnival

Luanda - Nearly 500 000 condoms will be distributed in the Angolan capital Luanda during the four-day annual carnival that starts on Saturday, in a campaign to help prevent the spread of Aids, organisers said.

Anaso, an umbrella organisation of groups fighting HIV and Aids, will send 10 teams of volunteers across the city to hand out condoms and leaflets about combating the disease.

"These activists will talk to people and explain the problems of disease," said Anaso spokesperson Antonio Coelho.

Mobile clinics will also be set up in the suburbs during the carnival to enable people to have Aids tests. Coelho said 5 000 test kits would be available.

According to official data, between 350 000 and 500 000 people live with HIV or Aids in Angola, a national prevalence rate of 2.4% for those aged 15 to 49.

The figure is low compared with some other African countries such as Botswana, where the prevalence rate is 25%.