Health tips
If you have a fever, headache and body aches, malaria is often the first thing people suspect. The only way to know is to test, and the process is quicker and simpler than most people expect.
Why test before you treat
Many illnesses look like malaria, including typhoid and viral infections. Health authorities recommend confirming malaria with a test before starting treatment, because taking antimalarials when you do not have malaria wastes money, delays the right treatment, and exposes you to side effects for nothing.
How the test works
A small drop of blood is taken from your finger. A rapid diagnostic test (RDT) can show a result in a short time, usually within about twenty minutes. In some cases the lab will also look at the blood under a microscope for a more detailed picture. A doctor then reads the result alongside your symptoms.
What to tell the doctor
Mention when the symptoms started, whether you have chills or sweating in cycles, and any medicines you have already taken. If you are pregnant, or you are testing a young child or an elderly relative, say so, because treatment choices can differ.
After the result
If the test is positive, take the full course of the medication you are given, even when you start feeling better. If it is negative but you are still unwell, do not assume it is nothing. Your doctor may test for typhoid or look for other causes.
Go for urgent help if you notice these
Repeated vomiting so that you cannot keep fluids down, confusion or unusual drowsiness, convulsions, difficulty breathing, or severe weakness are warning signs. Do not wait for an appointment. Call the clinic or go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
Testing at Clinigram
Our lab is on site in Tanke Oke-Odo, so you can be tested, seen by a doctor and collect your medication in the same visit. Results are same day where possible. You do not need an appointment, though registering ahead helps us keep things quick.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis. For advice about your own health, please see a doctor.
See a doctor in Tanke Oke-Odo
Clinigram Healthcare is a walk-in clinic, pharmacy and lab at Alhaji Oore House, next to Dola-Bimbola Filling Station, Tanke Oke-Odo, Ilorin, Kwara State. Open every day, 8am to 9pm.
Serving: University of Ilorin · Tanke · Oke-Odo