A West Virginia lawmaker says it's just a coincidence that he and colleagues were struck down with fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea after a raw-milk party to celebrate relaxed regulations on the drink.
Sign up for free news alerts from WND.com, America's independent news network.
Pat McGeehan, a Republican house delegate from Hancock, told WSAZ-3 that he did not pay for a recent win for limited government with the stomach flu. He insists a virus – not bacteria in an illegal cup of raw milk – is to blame for his symptoms.
"There's definitely ... some other colleagues that have similar symptoms that I've been experiencing," McGeehan told the NBC affiliate from Charleston on Wednesday.
Individuals who drink unpasteurized milk run the risk of ingesting bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter and listeria. Regardless, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill last Thursday allowing people to purchase the product if a waiver is signed and the animals providing it were tested within the last year. The law will go into effect this May.
State health officials received a complaint Tuesday about the raw-milk party in the Capitol, which would have been in violation of existing law and subject to fines ranging from $50 to $500.
"[Rep. Scott Cadle] caught me in the hallway, offered a cup to me, and you want to try to be a gentleman. I had a small sip and walked away and tossed the rest of it," McGeehan said. "I highly doubt raw milk had anything to do with it. I don't think it's any riskier than eating raw oysters or anything like that. There definitely shouldn't be a law against allowing people to do what they want within the framework of the rule of law. Just be careful."
WSAZ-3 noted that a stomach virus has circulated throughout the Capitol in recent weeks.
"It's important to note that a lot of the information out there is alleged," State Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta told the Associated Press on Wednesday. "It's important to conduct an investigation to figure out exactly the facts."
Rep. Cadle told the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Tuesday that he "might" have broken law after the bill was signed into law.
"Hell, I don't know. I gave it away," Cadle said.