05/19/2026
Today in the lab, I had a conversation with a patient that honestly stayed on my mind for a long time.
The patient came in complaining of:
- Fever
- Weakness
- Body pain
And immediately, before any test was even done, the person said:
“I know it’s malaria and typhoid.”
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Honestly, this is something we hear almost every single day.
To many people now, fever automatically means:
“Malaria and typhoid.”
Together.
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So we carried out the tests properly.
Malaria came out positive.
But typhoid?
Negative.
Completely negative.
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When I explained the result, the patient still said:
“Let me still treat typhoid too… just in case.”
And that right there is the problem.
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People have become so used to taking antibiotics unnecessarily that it now feels normal.
Any small fever…
Antibiotics.
Any weakness…
Antibiotics.
Without even knowing if bacteria is truly involved.
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What many people don’t understand is this:
Every unnecessary antibiotic you take is teaching bacteria how to survive those drugs.
And gradually…
Those drugs stop working.
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This is how antibiotic resistance starts.
Quietly.
Slowly.
Until one day, someone develops a serious infection…
And the usual medications no longer work.
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As healthcare workers, we see this reality.
Patients coming with infections that should have been easy to treat…
But now resistant to multiple antibiotics.
And honestly, it’s scary sometimes.
Because the abuse of antibiotics is becoming too common.
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Typhoid is not something you should diagnose by yourself.
And not every fever is typhoid.
Sometimes it’s malaria.
Sometimes it’s viral.
Sometimes it’s something entirely different.
That is why testing matters.
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Let me say this clearly:
Stop treating based on assumptions.
Stop taking antibiotics because “it worked last time.”
Stop mixing different drugs without proper diagnosis.
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Your body is not a guessing experiment.
And antibiotics are not drugs to play with.
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Today, that patient only needed malaria treatment.
Nothing more.
And that’s why proper testing is important.
Because the right treatment starts with the right diagnosis.
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As healthcare workers, we are not trying to make things difficult when we ask for tests.
We are trying to prevent bigger problems later.
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Please, take your health seriously.
Test first.
Treat correctly.
Protect your future.
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Because one wrong habit repeated over time…
Can create a health problem that becomes difficult to reverse.
Stay safe.