Rio Carnival is a festival held every year before Lent; it is considered the biggest carnival in the world, with two million people per day on the streets. In 2025, the festival will be from 28 February to 8 March.
The following precautions are recommended:
General precautions:
- Mass events may favor respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, therefore:
- wash your hands often!
- Avoid close contact with anyone who is unwell
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, dispose of tissues appropriately + wash hands.
- Follow good food and water hygiene rules and do not eat, drink or handle undercooked or raw poultry, egg, duck dishes or unpasteurised/raw milk and dairy products.
- wash your hands often!
- The risk of accidents may also be increased (CAVE alcohol!).
- To avoid sexually transmitted diseases (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc.): follow safer sex practices (condoms).
Recommended vaccinations and other health risks: See respective country page at www.healthytravel.ch.
Vaccination against meningococcal disease can be considered.
Mosquito protection 24/7 is strongly recommended throughout the country, including cities, to avoid various arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Oropouche, and Zika. The city of Rio de Janeiro is malaria-free, but malaria is endemic in the Atlantic rainforest of the state of Rio de Janeiro. For other malaria risk areas and recommended prevention measures, see the Brazil country page www.healthytravel.ch.
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