PlusNews is an e-mail and Internet-based HIV/AIDS information service for sub-Saharan Africa run by the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), a news service that forms part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

PlusNews was set up in 2001 to improve the flow of accurate and accessible coverage of HIV and AIDS; strengthen media advocacy; encourage the sharing of research and best practice; highlight responses from governments, civil society and international organisations; and promote the voices of those infected and affected.

PlusNews is one of the largest sources of original reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa. In a survey of subscribers in June 2004, 83 percent of respondents ranked PlusNews as "excellent and indispensable", or "good and very useful". Eighty percent said PlusNews provided information "not available from other agencies or news services".

From its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, PlusNews provides a comprehensive, professionally produced, one-stop information service for news and analysis on HIV and AIDS in Africa.

It offers access to the latest information on local civil society activities, government programmes, donor initiatives, epidemiological data, and expert analysis. The PlusNews French service, based in Dakar, Senegal, covers 25 West and Central African countries - a subregion that has generally been marginalised in terms of quality HIV/AIDS reporting.

English News Service:

PlusNews reporting focuses on the humanitarian, political, economic, cultural and regional contexts of the HIV/AIDS crisis. PlusNews employs a dedicated deputy editor funded by IRIN, and uses a mixture of local freelance journalists and field assignments by IRIN staff to provide a unique service that mixes colour features with in-depth analysis. These articles are available via both e-mail to direct subscribers, and the PlusNews website.

Country Profiles:

Annotated contact details for relevant government departments and national programs; active NGOs and organizations of people living with AIDS; as well as country socio-economic indicators and the latest epidemiological data.

Treatment Map:

A country-by-country overview on progress in the rollout of antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, detailing numbers on treatment, targets for 2005, funds disbursed and the national drug regimens.

News Digest:

A weekly electronic newsletter. It includes summaries of the articles produced during the previous week, together with a digest of upcoming conferences; a synopsis of selected research; and web links to the latest resource materials.