Brazilians surrendered en masse to the pulsating beat of the carnival drums over the weekend, despite the Zika virus ravaging parts of the country.

Brazilians defied a slew of government warnings and participated in what has been often described as the world's biggest party, featuring a parade of skimpily-clad dancers shaking to the samba beat.

Just before the carnival, the Health Ministry Friday urged pregnant women, whose unborn babies are at risk of birth defects if infected with the Zika virus, to stay indoors, wear clothing that covers the limbs despite the high temperatures and use insect repellent.

The state-run Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), one of the leading institutions researching the Zika virus, warned it had detected the presence of the virus in urine and saliva, indicating that it can be transmitted via an exchange of body fluid, for example during sex.

Given the possibility that Zika could be transmitted by a simple kiss, the president of Fiocruz, Paulo Gadelha, recommended pregnant women "avoid crowds."

Gadelha, aware of Brazil's high tolerance for promiscuity during a carnival, advised the partners of pregnant women to avoid harming the fetus.

The warnings, however, appear to have fallen on deaf ears, as large numbers of Brazilians joined the carnival celebrations as if there weren't any health threat.

One traditional carnival block party in Rio de Janeiro, called the "Umbilical Chord," is geared to expectant mothers and those with small children, as it was held on Saturday.

Gabriela Ortis, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, said "during a carnival, it's impossible to stay at home with a little girl."

She slathered on repellent and joined the crowds for fun with her daughter, despite the high risk of being bitten by the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits Zika.

Brazilian revelers also ignored the warning not to kiss strangers.

In Salvador de Bahia, home to Brazil's second most famous carnival, kissing as many strangers as you can over the five days of revelry is a long-standing tradition. Friends even compete to collect the most kisses, and winners declare they kiss at least a dozen strangers in a single day.

In Brazil's northeastern city Recife, which has registered many cases of the Zika virus, the warnings have also been ignored, with nearly 2 million revelers gathering in the downtown area for the traditional parade.

Recife is the capital of Pernambuco state, where the largest number of cases of microcephaly, or infants born with abnormally small heads, has been reported: more than half of the 4,000 or so cases in the entire country.

Experts suspect the spreading virus is to blame for the sudden surge in microcephaly.

While the Brazilian government has been trying to control the spread of the Zika virus, carnivals are thwarting the government's efforts by turning the outdoor festivities into a "feast" for the mosquitoes. Endi

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