The following are signs and symptoms that may indicate an individual is in one of the various stages of HIV infection.
| Day | Stage |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Potential exposure |
| Day 7 to 14 | 95% develop high viral load |
| Day 16 | 95% develop p24 antigen; within 1 - 8 weeks |
| Seroconversion | 95% seroconvert within 4 weeks; 70% show symptoms |
| Day 28 | 95% develop antibody and test positive using a 4th generation test |
| Day 90 | 99.97% develop antibody and test positive |
HIV: Window Period
It is the time when a person is infected with the virus but doesn’t test positive but still able to infect others. HIV testing kits require at least 30 days window period to get an accurate result.
HIV: Acute Infection (within 2-4 weeks)
- Fever, headaches and sore throat
- Excessive fatigue, chills and muscle pain
- Swollen glands, maculopapular truncal rash
- In some cases, no symptoms at all
HIV: Advanced Infection
- Coughing or breathing difficulties
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea, fatigue and high fever
- In some cases, no symptoms (latent infection)
HIV: Final Stage – AIDS (CD4 < 200)
- Chronic diarrhea for a month
- Pulmonary Tuberculosis
- Recurrent severe bacterial Pneumonia
- Chronic Herpes Simplex infection
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