₦airaland Forum

Yesterday, somebody told me:
“Nurse, I know it’s malaria. My body is hot, I’m weak, and I have headache.”

And honestly…
that sentence is one of the most common things healthcare workers hear in Nigeria.

The moment many people feel:
tired,
weak,
feverish,
body pain,
the next thing is:
“It’s malaria.”

But here’s the problem:

Not every fever is malaria.
Sometimes it is:
stress,
typhoid,
dehydration,
infection,
ulcer-related illness,
viral infection,
lack of sleep,
anxiety,
high blood sugar,
even severe exhaustion.

And sometimes… people keep treating “malaria” for weeks while the real problem keeps getting worse quietly.

I have seen people take antimalarial drugs multiple times without testing anything.
Some people practically use malaria drugs like paracetamol.

That’s dangerous.
Because when you keep treating what you assume instead of what is actually happening:
you waste money,
delay proper treatment,
stress the liver,
and sometimes damage your health further.

One thing many people don’t know is this:
Malaria symptoms overlap with many other illnesses.

That is why proper testing matters.
A simple test can save you from:
wrong medication,
unnecessary drug use,
and complications.

Another issue is self-medication culture.
In Nigeria, many people become their own doctor, pharmacist, and laboratory scientist overnight 😅

Small headache:
“Buy malaria drugs.”
Body weak:
“It’s malaria.”
Didn’t sleep well:
“Malaria is worrying me.”
Meanwhile the body may actually be crying for:
rest,
water,
nutrition,
proper diagnosis,
or medical attention.

This is not to say malaria is not common. It is.
Malaria is still a major health issue in Nigeria.
But the danger is assuming everything is malaria.

Sometimes the body is trying to warn you about something completely different.

And honestly, one of the biggest forms of preventive healthcare is this:

Stop normalizing guessing.
Test when necessary. Pay attention to your body. Ask questions. Seek proper care.

Your body is not a guessing game.
Have you ever treated “malaria” and later discovered it was something else? 👀

Let’s talk.

Very apt. Just hours ago, I felt “malaria” but after my sleep, I’m feeling better. In the past, I could have taken paracetamol as a precaution but I know better now.

This is a good information for all. Kudos OP

So true ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Exactly 💯. Thank you for this.

Tinubu supporters will ask you to produce your own test kit and malaria medicine.


I spit on the grave of anyone who voted Tinubu but could not live to see the end of his government.

Atimes, good sleep heals you 📌💯.

Those things you listed are largely economic malaria.

To think i just took anti malaria drugs few hours ago just cos i was feeling feverish......

Cos i dont have money to test...
Nairalanders, should i stop or continue cos sincerely i dont have money to test

I used to do monthly test when one lab scientist working in a primary health center lived close to me. He will collect samples while going to work and comeback in the evening with saline solution and put me on drip just to increase his charges. He will prescribe ibuprofen for pain relief due to stress and amoxicillin for typhoid from street food.
He will always say, you don't have HIV, just keep yourself the way you are. That makes guess the HIV prevalent rate in my location.

Since he left, I have not done any test again. Don't blame me.

Thank you Op for the educative write up,

It's true because some people have been abusing drugs and destroying their liver gradually by malaria guessing, meanwhile they just need to have deep sleep and they will feel better.

True

Went to the hospital few weeks back because I had "malaria symptoms" and drug didn't seem to be working

Did test... Test result was forwarded to the doctor, called into the room... After gisting, he said, "guy you no get malaria, na stress dey do you, go home and rest"

Took some days off from work, no stress, just sleeping and eating, all symptoms disappeared.

In this Tinubu economy, why won't people think they have 'malaria' everyday when blood dey hot, head dey hot, body just dey weak anyhow because problem no wan finish?

This is just content creation

Nigerians should better be advised to be using mosquito net as the mosquitoes we have in Nigeria are just too stubborn

Some pastors will be hearing the sound of their neighbors generator but be thinking it's the sound of God due to mosquito bitten

Africans are so quick to say Malaria.

Even doctors make that mistake. When you say joint pains, fever, nausea , weakness, etc they will suggest malaria and recommend for Malaria test, before full blood count.

HUNGER sometime can also lead to fever when not eating anything for some days. That's my observable contribution.

UnknownQueen:
To think i just took anti malaria drugs few hours ago just cos i was feeling feverish......

Cos i dont have money to test...
Nairalanders, should i stop or continue cos sincerely i dont have money to test

Complete the treatment. Take lots of fluids, eat and rest well.

UnknownQueen:
To think i just took anti malaria drugs few hours ago just cos i was feeling feverish......

Cos i dont have money to test...
Nairalanders, should i stop or continue cos sincerely i dont have money to test

See that popular saying "man know thine self" will safe us alot of worrying and money.

When ever I put food in my mouth and I get a shocking sensations in my mouth, I just know malaria is lurking at the corner.

I am never wrong about it.

Understand your body and whenever you feel a strange one then you'd know is time to see a doctor.

jchioma:
Very apt. Just hours ago, I felt “malaria” but after my sleep, I’m feeling better. In the past, I could have taken paracetamol as a precaution but I know better now.

Paracetamol is good when you 'feel malaria'. Taking pcm when you feel feverish is one of the first things to do and not assuming you are feeling malaria.

Op, thatnks.
I think many people don’t really know the difference between fever and malaria.

Fever is not exactly a disease on its own — it’s more like the body’s reaction or warning sign that something is wrong. Malaria, on the other hand, is a disease, and one of the things it can cause is fever.

So whenever you feel feverish, weak, or hot, don’t immediately conclude it’s malaria.

Not every fever is malaria.

The country situation right now can give anyone multiple sickness and the cuase of all this na MONEY. If U get money sickness will be the least of Ur problem, speaking from experience

I am treating malaria right now after being severely bitten by mosquitoes in the past few days. Omorr, nobody fit tell me sayine is not malaria

Tenses:
See that popular saying "man know thine self" will safe us alot of worrying and money.

When ever I put food in my mouth and I get a shocking sensations in my mouth, I just know malaria is lurking at the corner.

I am never wrong about it.

Understand your body and whenever you feel a strange one then you'd know is time to see a doctor.

Ur very correct, once I start feeling uncomfortable on my lips area omo I know malaria is around the corner, chap chap I don fire am I no like nonsense ooo

Good sleep does wonders. Na only debt e no fit clear

TeachingNurse:
Yesterday, somebody told me:
“Nurse, I know it’s malaria. My body is hot, I’m weak, and I have headache.”

And honestly…
that sentence is one of the most common things healthcare workers hear in Nigeria.

The moment many people feel:
tired,
weak,
feverish,
body pain,
the next thing is:
“It’s malaria.”

But here’s the problem:

Not every fever is malaria.
Sometimes it is:
stress,
typhoid,
dehydration,
infection,
ulcer-related illness,
viral infection,
lack of sleep,
anxiety,
high blood sugar,
even severe exhaustion.

And sometimes… people keep treating “malaria” for weeks while the real problem keeps getting worse quietly.

I have seen people take antimalarial drugs multiple times without testing anything.
Some people practically use malaria drugs like paracetamol.

That’s dangerous.
Because when you keep treating what you assume instead of what is actually happening:
you waste money,
delay proper treatment,
stress the liver,
and sometimes damage your health further.

One thing many people don’t know is this:
Malaria symptoms overlap with many other illnesses.

That is why proper testing matters.
A simple test can save you from:
wrong medication,
unnecessary drug use,
and complications.

Another issue is self-medication culture.
In Nigeria, many people become their own doctor, pharmacist, and laboratory scientist overnight 😅

Small headache:
“Buy malaria drugs.”
Body weak:
“It’s malaria.”
Didn’t sleep well:
“Malaria is worrying me.”
Meanwhile the body may actually be crying for:
rest,
water,
nutrition,
proper diagnosis,
or medical attention.

This is not to say malaria is not common. It is.
Malaria is still a major health issue in Nigeria.
But the danger is assuming everything is malaria.

Sometimes the body is trying to warn you about something completely different.

And honestly, one of the biggest forms of preventive healthcare is this:

Stop normalizing guessing.
Test when necessary. Pay attention to your body. Ask questions. Seek proper care.

Your body is not a guessing game.
Have you ever treated “malaria” and later discovered it was something else? 👀

Let’s talk.

Thank you for this. I appreciate
However there are some errors in your post I'll indulge
From you post,you said fever can be as a result of
ulcer-related illness,lack of sleep,anxiety,high blood sugar. Its completely wrong.
The problem is Nigerians dont know what fever is! Yep you read it right. A typical Nigerian would have malaise,headache,muscle ache and tell me hes having fever.
I can't count the number of time I have had to explain and explain what fever is. So to save myself some stress,I simply ask 'do you have temperature' or' is your body hot'
Another misconception is mosquito bites. Someone would have mosquito bites and rush antimalarial. That is completely wrong. Not all bites would cause malaria,even if your whole body is covered with bites. For a bite to cause malaria,it would have to come from an infected female anopheles. So the bite may be a dry bite from an uninfected mosquito.
Yet another misconception is folks taking antimalarial to prevent malaria. This one is committed by anxious parents who dont want their wards to have malaria while in boarding school. Don't do this. Simply give mosquito nets or anti mosquito creams. The only folks that need malaria prevention are pregnant women,sickle cell patients and expatriates not born and bred in tropics
I can go on and on,but I'm tired. Maybe I'll do a topic about it one day

The one wey worst pass na hunger, when I Moll big Ebi with Egusi soup one time, my eyes start clearing and full recovery take place. Hunger and brokeness dey make you think say you dey sick until you jam better food

geoworldedu:
I am treating malaria right now after being severely bitten by mosquitoes in the past few days. Omorr, nobody fit tell me sayine is not malaria

My brother mosquitos too gat chop food too na, the country is hard for everyone including domestic animals

b0rn2fuck:
The one wey worst pass na hunger, when I Moll big Ebi with Egusi soup one time, my eyes start clearing and full recovery take place. Hunger and brokeness dey make you think say you dey sick until you jam better food

Exactly what I said just now, money stops nonsense

e get one girl wey everytime e go d talk say e get typhoid.
next time e talk that thing i go ask tell am make she go do HIV aids test

Osariemen12:
Exactly 💯. Thank you for this.

Tinubu supporters will ask you to produce your own test kit and malaria medicine.


I spit on the grave of anyone who voted Tinubu but could not live to see the end of his government.

This post is unwarranted.

This is an educative thread, staying on topic will benefit us all.

Thank you very much for this vital information...

You just may have saved a life or two.

God bless you, OP.