Millions of people across Brazil have joined the first day of the annual carnival festivities, despite concerns about the outbreak of the Zika virus.
In Recife, the city most affected by the mosquito-borne disease, more than a million people in colourful costumes have been partying.
The virus, thought to be linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas.
The spread of zika across Latin America and the Caribbean have put the Rio Olympics in the spotlight.
