When a person becomes infected the person
may first notice an infection similar to
glandular fever, but they still remain healthy
otherwise. During this period the body starts to
produce antibodies. This period is called
the window period and it takes the body about
2 – 12 weeks (3months) to produce enough of
these antibodies, so that they can be detected in
an HIV-antibody test.
Stage 2: Healthy – without any major
symptoms
A person is healthy during this time, but may
show some of the early symptoms or if they get
ill it takes a little longer than usual for them to
recover. Stage 2 is also known as the A-
symptomatic phase (no major symptoms) and
can last on average between 2 – 10 years.
Living healthily – eating well, exercising,
reducing stress, resting enough, avoiding
alcohol and cigarettes, can help prevent
opportunistic infections and therefore the
person can stay in this stage for longer.
Stage 3: Become ill
HIV gradually destroys the immune system of
people infected with HIV. Opportunistic
infections then develop and take advantage of
an HIV-positive person’s weak immune system,
making them ill. During stage 3 – which is also
known as the Symptomatic phase – the person
will experience more serious problems such as
profound weight loss, chronic diarrhoea, fever,
oral thrush, vaginal thrush, pneumonia and
TB. A person is advised to take medication to
treat the opportunistic infections so that they
can get better again.
Stage 4: AIDS
This phase is diagnosed when the person has a
CD4 count of lower than 250 as well as an
opportunistic infection (is sick). Very serious
diseases will occur during stage 4, such as:
- chest infections causing pneumonia and
shortness of breath
- TB (tuberculosis)
- brain infections causing mental confusion,
severe headaches and fits, meningitis
- diarrhoea lasting many weeks
- profound weight loss – more than 20% of
body weight in a week
- cancers, particularly a skin cancer called
Karposi Sarcoma
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