Brazil, one of the Latin American countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, will hand out a record 11 million condoms to prevent the spread of the disease during its erotically charged Carnival festival when casual sex rises.

With the pre-Lenten celebrations two weeks away, the “Dress Yourself” campaign is to remind revelers a condom should be part of their outfit, no matter how little they wear to parades and parties renowned for semi-nude, hip-thrusting dancers.

Millions of Brazilians and foreigners flock to cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife for the Feb. 4 - 9 festival. Crammed streets and close contact in tropical heat intensifies sexual relations, health authorities said.

The safe-sex campaign hits Brazilian television screens next week showing grinning celebrities waving condoms as they dance to popular Carnival samba tune, “What will you wear?”

Brazil, a country of 180 million people, uses around 1.2 billion condoms a year. The government wants to boost that number to 3 billion by 2008 through free distribution and manufacture of cheaper domestic products.