- Typhoid spreads through food/water and clears with a short antibiotic course.
- TB is airborne, needs longer treatment, and often shows a persistent cough plus weight loss.
- Fever lasting more than a week without a clear cause deserves targeted testing, not guesswork.
Typhoid and TB can both cause prolonged fever, fatigue and weight loss, which is why patients sometimes confuse the two. Typhoid is a bacterial infection usually spread through contaminated food or water and resolves with a short antibiotic course, while TB is airborne and needs a much longer treatment plan. Getting the right test early avoids weeks of guesswork.
A few clues can help tell them apart before testing: typhoid fever often follows a step-wise rising pattern and comes with abdominal discomfort, while TB more typically presents with a persistent cough lasting weeks, night sweats, and gradual weight loss. Neither pattern is definitive on its own, though — that is what lab testing is for.
If your fever has lasted more than a week without a clear cause, do not guess. A short round of targeted testing tells you exactly which condition you are dealing with, and gets you on the right treatment from day one.
