Brucellosis

"Rodent cattle. They’re vicious when hungry and tasty when dead. In between those two states though, they are able to produce a substantial amount of delicious milk. Especially when they’ve been fed well and gotten all plump. I hear that if they get scared it sours it but I ain’t ever seen it."  

An unnamed ratkeeper poorly describing their role in goblin society.

The Source

  Although not quite a staple of their diets, the milk is a much needed source of nutrition to vary the goblin’s otherwise very meaty sustenance. Not being very well known for their cleanliness, the milk isn’t treated by any heating or skimming processes and is usually consumed raw (However, drinking directly from the rat is still frowned upon). The goblins are yet to realise the link between the consumption of raw rat milk and the illness itself.    

The Disease

  Symptoms of the illness include a feverish temperature, sweating, headaches, extreme tiredness and joint pain. When left untreated, discoloured pale blemishes take hold across the entirety of the surface of the skin.   The illness is a result of the transferral of bacteria from animals to the consumer. This can be done via consumption of raw meats and dairy products but also from the exposure to livestock of all kinds. It is even possible to contract the illness from contact with their blood. Which unfortunately is incredibly difficult to avoid when engaging in the creation of the ratbeyir stock.   If a goblin manages to contract the illness while young and they take it long into their adulthood, it may even contribute to other issues such as arthritis of joints/spinal bones or even swelling of the linings around the heart.    

Other Risk Factors

  Although the disease does not transfer between goblins like a virus, it is possible for transmission between mother and spawn during birth or feeding. In addition to this, it is also possible for the illness to be transmitted through sexual activity, which for the goblins and their rampant replenishment rate, is astoundingly common.    

This is a submission for my second Summer Camp - I hope you enjoy the world I am building!