Is my severe illness due to the flu or from consuming unpasteurized milk? #flu #rawmilk #symptoms
Personal Information
I am a 21-year-old male, weighing 100lbs and standing at 162cm tall. My family resides on a farm where we have access to unpasteurized milk.
Symptoms
Three days after drinking a glass of raw milk, I experienced excruciating body aches, high fever, extreme diarrhea (starting as orange then turning green), stomach pains, and slight nausea.
Diagnosis Query
Could my symptoms be attributed to the consumption of unpasteurized milk, or is this just a normal flu?
Influenza generally doesn’t cause that degree of GI symptoms, so I’d suspect the milk.
Unpasteurized milk is a great way to get sick, so frankly that’s most likely. It’s not peak flu season right now.
In some comparisons, [unpasteurized/raw milk is 150 times more likely to get you sick](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/3/11-1370_article) than pasteurized milk.
Sounds like it could very well be the unpasteurized milk. You can get sick with diseases like Brucellosis which sounds a lot like the symptoms you’re describing. You need to be evaluated by a doctor, potential need for antibiotics if symptoms continue.
Edited: a word
Interestingly, new data coming out shows that up to 20% of the milk supply in the USA have detectable bird flu virus in it. ([link](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/26/1247561378/bird-flu-has-reached-the-commercial-milk-supply))
The FDA says the pasteurization process should remove any risk of the flu for humans. Since you drank it unpasteurized – maybe the problem is both!
Flu does not cause diarrhea.
I’m confused about what I should be doing. I’ve been sick for 6 days now, haven’t had body aches or a fever for about 2 but I’m still having diarrhea and my stomach hurts. Should I go to a walk in clinic/the hospital and ask to be tested for brucellosis? My family doctor isn’t open today and I doubt I would be able to see anyone there for a few days anyways.