Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Response on Service Provision for Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV, and Viral Hepatitis, England

Since the coronavirus disease pandemic response began in March 2020, tests, vaccinations, diagnoses, and treatment initiations for sexual health, HIV, and viral hepatitis in England have declined. The shift towards online and outreach services happened rapidly during 2020 and highlights the need to evaluate the effects of these strategies on health inequalities

Variables effects on temperature distributions for coupled single mode optical fibers

Fiber Optic network and devices have found increasing usage in everyday life due to their immunisation of electromagnetic wave. Parallel with these development, coupled single fibers had emerged to be one of important aspect in fiber optic technology. Single mode fibers manage to capture many attentions because of their potential in high capacity data processing. In the early days, fibers are coupled using mechanical method but recently researcher had discovered that a more efficient way of coupling fibers that is by using fusion elongation method. Coupled fibers produced using this method was proven to have low excess loss and these coupled fibers were more stable mechanically. Excess loss of the fibers coupled using fusion method depends on the fused region. Since fusion elongation method is a new field in fiber optics, it was found that there are not many research had been done in this area, particularly during the stage of fusing the fibers. It is obvious that during fusion process, heat transfer occur throughout the coupling region of the coupled fiber. Heat transfer occurs mainly through conduction since the fiber is in the form of solid. Using the heat equation in cylinder form, and neglecting the angular component in the equation, the temperature distribution of the fiber had been obtained. Several boundary conditions have been preset in order to obtain the constant values for the governing equation. To simplify the discussion and for the sake of better understanding, the equation for temperature distribution have been classified into three terms. Each of these terms were analysed. The results we obtained matched the physical change that occurs to the fibers. This research also shows that time is the most important component in the fusion coupling process

Epidemiology of HIV infection and associated behaviours among people who inject drugs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland: Nearly 40 years on.

INTRODUCTION People who inject drugs are at high risk of blood-borne infections. We describe the epidemiology of HIV among people who inject drugs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (EW&NI) since 1981. METHODS National HIV surveillance data were used to describe trends in diagnoses (1981-2019), prevalence (1990-2019), and behaviours (1990-2019) among people who inject drugs aged ≥15 years in EW&NI. HIV care and treatment uptake were assessed among those attending in 2019. RESULTS Over the past four decades, the prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs in EW&NI remained low (range: 0.64%-1.81%). Overall, 4978 people who inject drugs were diagnosed with HIV (3.2% of cases). Diagnoses peaked at 234 in 1987, decreasing to 78 in 2019; the majority were among white men born in the UK/Europe (90%), though the epidemic diversified over time. Late diagnosis (CD4 <350 cells/µl) was common (2010-2019: 52% [429/832]). Of those who last attended for HIV care in 2019, 97% (1503/1550) were receiving HIV treatment and 90% (1375/1520) had a suppressed viral load (<200 copies/ml). HIV testing uptake has steadily increased among people who inject drugs (32% since 1990). However, in 2019, 18% (246/1404) of those currently injecting reported never testing. The proportion of people currently injecting reporting sharing needles/syringes decreased from 1999 to 2012, before increasing to 20% (288/1426) in 2019, with sharing of any injecting equipment at 37% (523/1429). CONCLUSION The HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in EW&NI has remained relatively contained compared with in other countries, most likely because of the prompt implementation of an effective national harm reduction programme. However, risk behaviours and varied access to preventive interventions among people who inject drugs indicate the potential for HIV outbreaks