HIV symptoms vary from person to person. Some people will get bad symptoms and other people won’t have any symptoms for a long time. Symptoms can change over time, depending on the stage of HIV infection. See the next question and the ‘In detail’ tab for more information.
Antiretroviral treatment can keep you healthy, so you don’t experience the more serious symptoms.
There are three stages of HIV infection if it is not treated.
This happens after you are infected with HIV. Early symptoms of HIV can feel like having the flu. Not everyone will experience this. If you do, it usually occurs in the first 2 weeks of HIV infection. Symptoms can include:
fever (raised temperature)
rash
tiredness
sore throat
swollen glands
headache
upset stomach or diarrhoea
joint aches and pains
muscle pain.
This is when many people start to feel better. This stage may last for 10 years or more. During this time, you may have no symptoms.
This is when your immune system is very badly damaged and can no longer fight off serious infections and illnesses. You will feel very unwell. Symptoms can include:
If you get certain serious infections you are said to have AIDS.
See the ‘In detail’ tab for more information.
I feel so relieved now because I know that I can live a long and healthy life with treatment
If I had not gone for the test, I would be in the grave, but now I am happy in my third year on ARVs
No. Some people who are not on treatment don’t get any symptoms during stages 1 and 2. They may not know they have the virus, but they can still pass on HIV.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, HIV is still active in your body. Over time it will damage your immune system (the part of your body which protects you from infections), which leads to the serious infections experienced in stage 3.
This is why testing for HIV is so important because you can’t know if you have HIV from symptoms alone. Once you’re diagnosed you can start HIV treatment which keeps you healthy and make less likely to pass HIV on.
Not everyone will get symptoms in the early stages of HIV. If you do get symptoms, this will likely start 2-6 weeks after the infection.
Without HIV treatment, everyone will get severe symptoms eventually. But it can take years to reach this point.
Having symptoms does not mean you have HIV. The only way to know if you have HIV is by taking an HIV test. Visit your healthcare provider and they can arrange for you to get tested.
Antiretrovial treatment will allow your immune system to recover and stop the symptoms. The earlier you are diagnosed with HIV and start treatment, the better your health will be over time.
Embrace treatment for the life-giving blessing it is
This is also called acute (primary) infection. During this period, around 2-6 weeks after getting HIV, you may have flu-like symptoms. These normally don’t last long (a week or two). You may only get some of the symptoms and some people don’t have any symptoms at all.
Symptoms can include:
These symptoms happen because your immune system (the part of your body that stops you getting sick) is trying to destroy the HIV by producing antibodies. Your immune system’s response is what can make you feel unwell.
This process is called seroconversion. It can take up to a few months to go through the seroconversion process.
Because of this, HIV will not always show up in a test at this early stage, so your healthcare worker will talk to you about when you should test for HIV. This may be up to three months after you were exposed to HIV. You will need to test up to two more times to confirm your result.
In this early stage of infection, the amount of HIV in your blood is high. You’re more likely to pass the virus onto others if you have unprotected sex or share needles to inject drugs.
This is also called the asymptomatic stage. Once you have been through the acute primary infection stage and seroconversion process, you can often start to feel better. HIV may not cause any other symptoms for up to 10 or even 15 years.
However, the virus will still be active, infecting new cells and making copies of itself. HIV can still be passed on during this stage. If left untreated, HIV infection will cause severe damage to the immune system.
This is also called the symptomatic stage. By now, your immune system is severely damaged. At this point, you’re more likely to get serious infections or diseases that the body would otherwise be able to fight off. These infections are known as ‘opportunistic infections’ and if you get certain serious infections you are said to have AIDS.
Symptoms can include:
AIDS, also known as late-stage HIV, is when your immune system is very damaged. During this time, you’re likely to develop certain infections or diseases, known as opportunistic infections.
It’s important to get the right treatment as soon as possible. With treatment you can recover from AIDS-related infections and illness and bring HIV under control. For the best treatment outcomes, it is best to start treatment as soon as you are diagnosed with HIV.
HIV symptoms vary from person to person. Some people will get bad symptoms and other people won’t have any symptoms for a long time. Symptoms can change over time, depending on the stage of HIV infection. See the next question and the ‘In detail’ tab for more information.
Antiretroviral treatment can keep you healthy, so you don’t experience the more serious symptoms.
There are three stages of HIV infection if it is not treated.
This happens after you are infected with HIV. Early symptoms of HIV can feel like having the flu. Not everyone will experience this. If you do, it usually occurs in the first 2 weeks of HIV infection. Symptoms can include:
fever (raised temperature)
rash
tiredness
sore throat
swollen glands
headache
upset stomach or diarrhoea
joint aches and pains
muscle pain.
This is when many people start to feel better. This stage may last for 10 years or more. During this time, you may have no symptoms.
This is when your immune system is very badly damaged and can no longer fight off serious infections and illnesses. You will feel very unwell. Symptoms can include:
If you get certain serious infections you are said to have AIDS.
See the ‘In detail’ tab for more information.
I feel so relieved now because I know that I can live a long and healthy life with treatment
If I had not gone for the test, I would be in the grave, but now I am happy in my third year on ARVs
No. Some people who are not on treatment don’t get any symptoms during stages 1 and 2. They may not know they have the virus, but they can still pass on HIV.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, HIV is still active in your body. Over time it will damage your immune system (the part of your body which protects you from infections), which leads to the serious infections experienced in stage 3.
This is why testing for HIV is so important because you can’t know if you have HIV from symptoms alone. Once you’re diagnosed you can start HIV treatment which keeps you healthy and make less likely to pass HIV on.
Not everyone will get symptoms in the early stages of HIV. If you do get symptoms, this will likely start 2-6 weeks after the infection.
Without HIV treatment, everyone will get severe symptoms eventually. But it can take years to reach this point.
Having symptoms does not mean you have HIV. The only way to know if you have HIV is by taking an HIV test. Visit your healthcare provider and they can arrange for you to get tested.
Antiretrovial treatment will allow your immune system to recover and stop the symptoms. The earlier you are diagnosed with HIV and start treatment, the better your health will be over time.
Embrace treatment for the life-giving blessing it is
This is also called acute (primary) infection. During this period, around 2-6 weeks after getting HIV, you may have flu-like symptoms. These normally don’t last long (a week or two). You may only get some of the symptoms and some people don’t have any symptoms at all.
Symptoms can include:
These symptoms happen because your immune system (the part of your body that stops you getting sick) is trying to destroy the HIV by producing antibodies. Your immune system’s response is what can make you feel unwell.
This process is called seroconversion. It can take up to a few months to go through the seroconversion process.
Because of this, HIV will not always show up in a test at this early stage, so your healthcare worker will talk to you about when you should test for HIV. This may be up to three months after you were exposed to HIV. You will need to test up to two more times to confirm your result.
In this early stage of infection, the amount of HIV in your blood is high. You’re more likely to pass the virus onto others if you have unprotected sex or share needles to inject drugs.
This is also called the asymptomatic stage. Once you have been through the acute primary infection stage and seroconversion process, you can often start to feel better. HIV may not cause any other symptoms for up to 10 or even 15 years.
However, the virus will still be active, infecting new cells and making copies of itself. HIV can still be passed on during this stage. If left untreated, HIV infection will cause severe damage to the immune system.
This is also called the symptomatic stage. By now, your immune system is severely damaged. At this point, you’re more likely to get serious infections or diseases that the body would otherwise be able to fight off. These infections are known as ‘opportunistic infections’ and if you get certain serious infections you are said to have AIDS.
Symptoms can include:
AIDS, also known as late-stage HIV, is when your immune system is very damaged. During this time, you’re likely to develop certain infections or diseases, known as opportunistic infections.
It’s important to get the right treatment as soon as possible. With treatment you can recover from AIDS-related infections and illness and bring HIV under control. For the best treatment outcomes, it is best to start treatment as soon as you are diagnosed with HIV.
