Brucellosis: The Raw-Milk Fever Often Mistaken for Malaria or Typhoid
Recurring fever, night sweats and joint pain could be brucellosis, spread by raw milk and livestock around Nakuru. Learn the symptoms, testing, treatment and prevention.
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- Primegala Clinical Team
- Published
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- 4 min read
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Short answer: Brucellosis is a bacterial infection people catch by drinking raw (unboiled) milk or handling infected cattle, goats and sheep, especially during calving. It causes a fever that comes and goes, heavy sweats, joint and back pain, and tiredness, so it is often mistaken for malaria or typhoid. It needs a blood test to confirm and a long course of antibiotics prescribed by a clinician.
In many homes around Nakuru, the day starts with milk fresh from the cow or bought from a neighbour. A farmer helps a cow deliver a calf with bare hands. Weeks later a fever arrives, eases, then returns. There is a course of malaria tablets, then typhoid treatment, and still the fever and the aching back keep coming back.
You may hear brucellosis called "milk fever" because of its link to raw milk. Vets use that name for a different problem in cows after calving, which does not affect people.
How do people catch brucellosis?
- Raw milk and dairy products, such as mala, yoghurt, cheese or cream made from unboiled milk.
- Contact with birth fluids, the afterbirth or aborted calves, kids and lambs, through cuts in the skin or splashes into the eyes.
- Handling raw meat or eating undercooked meat, which is less common.
Livestock keepers, herders, butchers, slaughterhouse workers, milk traders and families who drink raw milk are most at risk.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms usually start two to four weeks after infection, but sometimes months later.
- Fever that rises and falls, often in the evening or at night
- Heavy sweats, especially at night
- Joint, back and muscle pain
- Tiredness and weakness that can last for weeks
- Headache, loss of appetite and weight loss
- In men, pain or swelling in the testicles
Without treatment, brucellosis can become long-lasting and affect the joints, spine, heart or other organs. In pregnancy it can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Why is it mistaken for malaria or typhoid?
| Brucellosis | Malaria | Typhoid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it spreads | Raw milk, contact with livestock | Mosquito bites | Contaminated food or water |
| Fever pattern | Comes and goes over weeks | Waves of fever, chills and sweating | Rises gradually, often high and constant |
| Other signs | Joint and back pain, night sweats, long tiredness | Headache, muscle aches | Stomach pain, constipation or diarrhoea |
| Test | Blood tests for brucellosis | Rapid test or microscopy | Stool antigen test or culture |
Many people take repeated malaria or typhoid treatments that don't help, because the cause is something else. If you drink raw milk or work with animals, tell your clinician. It changes which tests they consider. Read more about malaria and typhoid.
How is brucellosis tested and treated?
- A clinician takes your history and examines you, then requests blood tests.
- Some quick tests can mislead on their own, so your clinician may confirm the result with further testing. Ask us which tests are available.
- Treatment is usually a combination of antibiotics taken for at least six weeks, as prescribed by a clinician.
- Finish the full course, even when the fever settles. Stopping early is a common reason the illness returns.
- Don't buy antibiotics over the counter for a fever that keeps returning. Short or wrong courses don't clear brucellosis and add to antibiotic resistance.
How to protect your family
- Boil all raw milk to a full, rolling boil, including milk for chai, mala and yoghurt. See how to boil milk properly.
- Choose pasteurised milk when buying, or boil milk from vendors.
- Protect yourself during calving and kidding: wear gloves, cover any cuts and wash your hands and arms with soap afterwards.
- Bury or burn afterbirths and aborted foetuses, away from dogs and children.
- Cook meat thoroughly.
- Talk to a vet or your county livestock office about testing and vaccinating your herd, especially if animals have miscarried.
When to seek care
See a clinician if you have:
- A fever that keeps returning over more than a week, or doesn't improve after malaria or typhoid treatment
- Night sweats or joint and back pain with fever
- Any fever while pregnant
Come in immediately, at any hour, or call 999 or 112, if someone with fever is confused, has a severe headache with a stiff neck, has chest pain or difficulty breathing, or cannot keep fluids down.
How Primegala can help
Our clinicians at Maili Sita, opposite Kiamaina Primary School, can assess a fever that keeps coming back, ask about the milk and animals in your daily life and use our on-site laboratory to rule out other causes. Ask us which brucellosis tests are available; where further tests or specialist care are needed, we refer. We are open 24 hours. Walk in or book a visit.
At Primegala
Laboratory Services
Common blood, urine and stool tests on site, with fast results.
- Open 24 hours, every day, including public holidays
- Maili Sita, opposite Kiamaina Primary School
- SHA accepted for eligible services
Frequently asked questions
Can brucellosis spread from person to person?
Very rarely. Almost all infections come from animals, or from raw milk and dairy products made from unboiled milk.
Does boiling milk kill brucellosis?
Yes. Bringing milk to a full, rolling boil kills Brucella and many other germs. Pasteurised packaged milk has already been heat-treated.
How long does brucellosis treatment take?
Treatment is usually a combination of antibiotics taken for at least six weeks, as prescribed by a clinician. Stopping early can let the infection come back.