Paraguayan PWAs
Taken Off Combo Drugs

Paraguay's National Program Against AIDS has stopped giving persons with AIDS (PWAs) the three-drug cocktail of saquinavir, AZT and ddC -- which was the only cocktail provided.

The Treasury Ministry refused to continue funding the treatments because declining mortality rates have increased patient load and thus the cost of the program. The declining death rate likely resulted from use of the drugs.

Taking a PWA off his or her combo for even a few days can cause HIV to mutate around the drugs -- making the drugs useless for that patient in the future and creating drug-resistant versions of HIV that can be transmitted to other people.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission requests letters of protest to Dr. Nicolas Aguayo, Director, Programa Nacional de Lucha Contra el SIDA, Avenida Venezuela y Florida, Asuncion, Paraguay. Fax: 011-595-21-204-604. E-mail pnsida@uninet.com.py. Carbon-copy the AIDS service organization A-OMOIRU, c/o Bernardo Puente Oliviera, Av. Bernardino Caballero 219, Asuncion, Paraguay. E-mail: berpuente@hotmail.com.

Portuguese Gay Group Webbed

The year-old Portuguese gay group OPUS GAY invites the world to its new Web site at http://homepage. esoterica.pt/~anser.

"We have a new head office where gays can meet and use our services in Lisbon," the group said in a press release. "As you know, the Portuguese gay movement is more and more proud and visible."

The group's address is Rua ilha da Terceira 36 r/c, (Estefania) Lisboa 1000, Portugal. E-mail: anser@esoterica.pt. Telephone: 011-351-1-3170772.