Stop Treating Malaria and Typhoid Together

Walk into any community pharmacy in Nigeria and you will hear it: “Give me malaria and typhoid drugs together…”

For many people, malaria and typhoid are like twins. If fever comes, they automatically assume both are present. But this belief is not just wrong; it is dangerous.

Let’s break this myth once and for all.

Myth: Every Fever Means Malaria and Typhoid

Truth: Fever is a symptom of many conditions. Malaria and typhoid are only two of them.

In Nigeria, because malaria is common, people assume any fever must be malaria. But then they add another assumption: “If I have malaria, I must also have typhoid.”

This mindset leads to unnecessary antibiotic use, drug resistance, worsening symptoms, and delayed diagnosis of the real illness.

People Often Misinterpret Symptoms

Most Nigerians walk into a pharmacy and say, “I have malaria. I feel a headache, fever, and pain in my joints.”

These can be signs of malaria, yes. But they can also be signs of:

• Stress

• Fatigue

• Lack of proper rest

• Dehydration

• Skipped meals

• Exhaustion from work or school

  
  

Sometimes, your body simply needs:

• A good meal

• A proper bath

• Enough water

• A sound night sleep

  
  

Not every fever or headache is malaria. And even when it is malaria, it does not automatically mean you must treat typhoid too.

Why People Believe This Myth

1. Old practices. Before rapid tests became common, people treated everything based on guesswork.

2. Fear. They do not want the illness to “come back,” so they over-treat.

3. Pressure from friends or family. “They treated me for both and I got well.”

4. Unreliable lab tests. Some outdated Widal tests wrongly say “typhoid present” even when it is not.

Let’s Talk About Typhoid: It Is Not a Casual Illness

Typhoid is caused by Salmonella typhi, a serious bacterial infection that affects the bloodstream and the intestinal tract.

Symptoms can include prolonged high fever, abdominal pain, weakness, severe diarrhea or constipation, and headache.

It is not something you treat casually. Typhoid requires accurate diagnosis and the correct antibiotic at the correct dose and duration.

Taking antibiotics when you do not have typhoid is not prevention. It is self-harm.

Malaria and Typhoid Are Not Automatically Connected

Just because you have malaria does not mean typhoid is hiding somewhere.

Here is the truth:

• Malaria is caused by parasites (Plasmodium)

• Typhoid is caused by bacteria (Salmonella typhi)

• They do not come from the same source

• They do not appear together by default

• Treating malaria does not mean you must treat typhoid

You only treat typhoid when tests confirm it.

Why Treating Both Together Is a Problem

1. Unnecessary antibiotics lead to drug resistance

Antibiotics are becoming weaker because people use them without need. One day, a simple infection may not respond again.

2. Wrong treatment hides the real illness

If your fever is from viral infection, food poisoning, pneumonia, COVID, dengue, urinary infection or even stress, and you keep treating “malaria and typhoid,” you will really not get better.

3. Antibiotic side effects

Antibiotics can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, drug allergies, and long-term changes in gut health.

4. Wasting money

Many patients spend ₦15,000 to ₦25,000 on treatments they do not need.

The Mindset Problem

Many people strongly believe: “If I treat malaria without treating typhoid, I do not get well. The malaria comes back quickly.”

This belief alone affects recovery. The mind is a powerful part of healing. When you are convinced you must treat both diseases to feel better, you will never trust your treatment even when it is working.

Sometimes, you are not falling sick again. You are tired, stressed or not eating well. But because your mind is conditioned to expect “malaria and typhoid,” you interpret every discomfort as a relapse.

Awareness helps you break this cycle.

So What Should You Do When You Have Fever?

✔ Test for malaria

✔ Do the proper typhoid test if symptoms truly suggest it

✔ Do not treat typhoid unless confirmed

✔ Avoid combining drugs “just in case”

✔ Listen to trained health professionals

A simple test can save you from unnecessary medicine.

Final Message

Treating malaria and typhoid together is not being safe. It is poor health practice, a waste of money, and a major cause of antibiotic resistance in Nigeria.

Malaria and typhoid is not the default combination.

Stop treating typhoid when you do not have it.

Stop using antibiotics blindly.

Test. Treat. Do not assume.