Many of us believe that we are great drinkers and that alcohol does not affect us as much. People who are able to drink without showing any sign of inebriation are known as social drinkers. In short, they are not addicted to alcohol but will not turn down the opportunity to have a good time! While it may seem like it doesn’t affect you, new studies suggest that it is just an illusion, even if you have high tolerance, alcohol affects your cognitive and motor functions more than you think.

The study reveals the below implications and techniques:

• Researchers used a new MRI technique to precisely measure brain electrical activity.
• By comparing brain scans before and after drinking, scientists identified specific areas affected by alcohol and how much brain activity slowed down.
• Participants were chosen to be regular social drinkers without alcohol addiction, ensuring the study focused on the effects of alcohol alone.
• MRI technology provided reliable data on brain activity changes caused by alcohol consumption.

How does the brain react to alcohol?

Think of it as the foundation for your brain's performance. When brain conductivity is high, information flows smoothly, and that helps your brain in rapid processing and response. On the other hand, low conductivity can hinder cognitive function, leading to slower thinking, impaired memory, and difficulties with coordination.

A study conducted at the Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Science unveiled a startling connection between alcohol consumption and brain conductivity.

What is the connection between alcohol consumption and brain activity?

While many people brush off the effects of alcohol as temporary changes in behaviour, the reality is much more complex. Beyond the obvious impacts on coordination and judgment, alcohol significantly alters brain function. Alcohol dramatically slowed down brain activity, especially in areas responsible for decision-making, planning, and physical coordination. This decline was so significant that it resembled the brain changes seen in normal ageing. This means even one drink could temporarily accelerate the ageing process of your brain.

Alcohol and Brain activity: What does the study Imply?

The implications of this research are far-reaching. It provides compelling evidence that alcohol consumption has a direct and measurable impact on brain function. The discovery that alcohol can significantly reduce brain conductivity opens new avenues for understanding the neurocognitive effects of alcohol abuse and dependence. While you may not feel like alcohol is affecting you and you have a high tolerance, it most definitely changes and affects your decision-making abilities and impulse control.

Furthermore, the MRI technique employed in the study could be a valuable tool for assessing the impact of other substances on the brain and for developing interventions to mitigate alcohol-related brain damage.

Raw, unpasteurized milk has gained traction in the US over the past two years despite warnings about its health risks. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has renewed its call for a ban on the sale and distribution of raw milk and dairy products, including raw cheeses.

Recent cases have highlighted the risks associated with raw milk. Two California girls — 17-month-old Brooklyn and 6-year-old Victoria — were hospitalized with near-fatal E. coli infections after drinking raw goat milk. Hundreds of people have fallen ill across nine states in the past two years after consuming raw milk or products made from it.

“Claims that raw milk provides superior health benefits are not supported by scientific evidence,” the AAP said.

Raw Milk Riskier For Children, Pregnant People

Also read: Drinking Raw Milk Hospitalizes 2 Young Girls in US With Nearly Fatal E. Coli Infection: Health Risks Explained

In a policy statement published online ahead of print in the November 2026 issue of Pediatrics, the AAP said unpasteurized milk, cheese and other raw dairy products are unsafe, particularly for young children and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

“Nearly half of illnesses caused by raw dairy consumption occur in people under age 20 – and a significant share of those cases are in children under 5,” said Adam J. Ratner, MD, MPH, FAAP, lead author.

“These illnesses can be severe and lead to life-threatening complications. Pasteurization … dramatically reduces the risks without taking away the nutritional value families rely on.”

H5N1 Adds To Raw Milk Concerns

The updated guidance also highlights H5N1, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, as an emerging risk associated with raw milk. Sales and distribution of raw milk remain legal in at least 27 states.

The virus can be transmitted from infected dairy cattle into milk, where it can reach high concentrations and remain detectable in refrigerated raw milk for up to five weeks.

During the 2024 US dairy outbreak, infectious H5N1 was detected in nearly one-quarter of raw milk samples in affected areas. However, FDA and USDA testing of commercial pasteurized milk found no viable virus, showing that high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization neutralizes H5N1.

No human cases of H5N1 infection from consuming raw milk have been confirmed to date, but the AAP considers it a credible emerging threat.

Read More: Second Plague Death Reported As Russia Denies Outbreak

Raw Milk Can Carry Dangerous Pathogens

Unpasteurized milk can contain Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Brucella. These infections can cause severe illness, hospitalization, miscarriage and death, particularly among young children, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems.

Listeriosis is estimated to be 12 to 14 times more common during pregnancy than in the general population and can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or severe illness in newborns.

AAP Says Pasteurized Dairy Is Safest

“Parents may choose raw milk because they have heard it is healthier or more natural, but the scientific evidence tells a different story,” said Mark R. Corkins, MD, FAAP, co-author of the policy statement.

“Pasteurized dairy products provide the same essential nutrients without exposing children and families to preventable infections from dangerous bacteria and viruses. For infants, children and pregnant people, pasteurized dairy products are clearly the safest choice.”

Women living with HIV are six times more likely to be infected with HPV. They are also twice as likely to die from invasive cervical cancer. Hence, a recent study published in The Lancet HIV has sparked hope after it found that HPV vaccine can provide long-term safety to women living with HIV.

Emphasising on the importance of HPV vaccination among women in this sub-section, the study followed women with HIV for 9 years after they received HPV vaccine, becoming the longest study that analyses how this vaccine works in this population. Until now, researchers had limited evidence about how this vaccine's efficacy on women with HIV.

About The HPV Vaccination Study On Women With HIV

Also read: India-Made HPV Vaccine CERVAVAC Gets WHO Prequalification: Serum Institute

A team of researchers from the UBC Faculty of Medicine followed 293 Canadian women with HIV through 14 HIV and gynecological treatment clinics across the country. They found that the vaccine evoked a strong immune response that persisted for a long time.

The rates of HPV infection and genital warts were very low among women who received all the three doses did not already have the strains of HPV targeted by the vaccine.

Additionally, no participants developed serious precancerous changes to the cervix caused by those HPV strains.

Maintaining an undetectable HIV viral load was also crucial for sustaining HPV antibody levels over time, according to the researchers. The finding highlighted the importance of continued access to appropriate HIV treatment and care.

“We’ve known for some time that HPV vaccines are safe and highly effective, but we didn’t have long-term evidence to show how lasting that protection is for women living with HIV,” said first author Dr. Elisabeth McClymont, assistant professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology and department of pediatrics. “Our findings are incredibly reassuring. Even in a population whose immune systems can be affected by HIV, vaccination provided strong protection against HPV infection and cervical cancer for many years.”

Worldwide HIV Burden In Women

Also read: H. pylori, HPV Among Five Infections Behind 1 In 8 Cancers Worldwide: Lancet

The findings have significant relevance globally as almost 20 million women and girls are living with HIV worldwide. It is also uneven as regions like sub-Saharan Africa face a heavier burden with limited access to cervical cancer screening and treatment.

“Cervical cancer is preventable, yet it continues to take lives in Canada and around the world, particularly in places where HIV rates are higher and access to screening and prevention is limited,” said senior author Dr. Deborah Money, professor and head of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology. “We now have concrete evidence that HPV vaccination works very well for women living with HIV over the long term. Making this vaccine more accessible and acceptable for those who need it most can help us prevent unnecessary deaths and move closer to eliminating cervical cancer globally.”

HPV & Cervical Cancer

Most cervical cancer cases are caused by infection from oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection which can affect the throat, skin, genitals, and anal region.

Persistent HPV infection may lead to precancerous changes in the cervix, which if left untreated, is most likely to result in cervical cancer within a span of two decades. Women with HIV, with weakened immune systems, may develop cervical cancer within 5 to 10 years.

According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is the fifth most diagnosed cancer forms among women. In 2024, more than 600,000 cases and 280,000 deaths were reported. The health body emphasises on prevention through HPV vaccination and regular screening.

Even as Bangladesh grapples with a significant measles burden, the country is now facing one of its worst dengue outbreaks.

According to health ministry data, more than 90,350 people have been hospitalised and 281 deaths reported since the beginning of the year.

In October alone, 10,736 people have been hospitalized and 36 have died, raising concerns that the outbreak could worsen.

Dengue Death Toll Among Highest Recorded

The death toll of 281 makes this the fourth-highest annual figure since Bangladesh’s first major dengue outbreak in 2000.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the highest number of dengue deaths was recorded in 2023, when 1,705 people died.

A death review by the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), led by its Director Prof Quazi Ahmed Zaki, found that more than one-third of dengue patients who died did so within a day of hospital admission.

The review of 119 deaths also found that many patients had experienced delays of at least three days before being diagnosed, according to Prof Zaki, as reported by The Daily Star.

All 4 Dengue Serotypes Active

Also read: Dengue Is Spreading Beyond Monsoons And Into New Regions Across India, Says Expert

Medicine specialist Dr ABM Abdullah said repeated infections and delayed diagnosis were contributing to severe cases and deaths.

People previously infected with dengue could face a higher risk of severe illness during subsequent infections, he said.

“Dengue has four serotypes. When people are infected for the first time, they often do not realise that they have dengue. They may mistake the symptoms for influenza or another common illness and recover without serious complications,” he said.

However, subsequent infections can be more severe, particularly when a person contracts dengue for the second, third or fourth time, he added.

Prof Abdullah said dengue had also become harder to recognize early, with some patients developing mild or non-specific symptoms such as low-grade fever, body aches, a runny nose or cough.

“The problem is that patients often do not realize that they have dengue. By the time they are diagnosed, their condition may have become serious, leaving doctors with limited options,” he said.

He urged people to undergo dengue testing if they develop fever, body aches, headache, cold or other mild symptoms while dengue is circulating.

Bangladesh Considers Dengue Vaccine Trials

Read More: QDENGA: India’s First Approved Dengue Vaccine May Hit Shelves In 2027; How Effective Is It?

Amid the rising cases and deaths, Bangladesh is considering clinical trials of a dengue vaccine, Reuters reported.

Recent rainfall has created favorable conditions for mosquito breeding, raising concerns that the outbreak could worsen.

State Minister for Health M.A. Muhit said as all four dengue serotypes had been detected in Bangladesh, increasing the possibility of repeated infections because immunity to one serotype does not protect against the other three.

"With all four dengue serotypes now circulating in Bangladesh, we are considering conducting vaccine trials in the country," Muhit said.

Health experts have said dengue is no longer concentrated only in major cities and that spraying alone will not curb transmission unless mosquito breeding sites are eliminated.

The government is considering a dengue vaccine as a long-term measure to reduce infections and deaths, but there are no immediate plans to begin vaccination.

“We are discussing vaccines as a long-term measure. There are probably three dengue vaccine candidates in the world at present. We are also considering the issue in Bangladesh, but it is not happening at this moment,” Muhit said.