A few months ago, I had what I thought was malaria.

The symptoms were familiar: Body weakness, Headache, Fever, Loss of appetite…

Like many Nigerians, my first instinct was:“Let me buy malaria drugs.”

But when I got to the pharmacy, the pharmacist asked a question I wasn’t expecting: “Have you done a malaria test?”

The answer was no.

And that’s when I learnt that not every fever is malaria.

In fact, a lot of illnesses can look like malaria: Typhoid, Viral infections, Stress-related fatigue, Certain bacterial infections

Yet many of us immediately spend money on malaria drugs without confirming what we’re treating.

The pharmacist recommended a malaria test first and interestingly, the result came back negative.

Imagine if I had bought the drugs anyway. I would have spent money treating an illness I didn’t have.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many Nigerians still say “I know my body. This is malaria.”

Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re not.

If you’re feeling unwell, consider confirming before treating.

It could save you money, time, and unnecessary medication.

Have you ever treated malaria only to find out later that it wasn’t malaria?