What is it like to be infected?

The scariest thing of all, is that you can become infected and not even know it till several years have passed. This is simply because the initial symptoms are so mild that you may think it's just a dry cough or flu. During the initial stages of infection the vast majority of people do not experience symptoms that are serious enough to require a doctor's attention. Your test for HIV antibodies may even turn out to be negative, but you can still pass the virus on to your partner.

Other symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Nausea
• Long lasting Diarrhoea
• Enlarged Lymph nodes (organs that form part of the immune system that can be felt in the armpits, groin and neck)
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Rapid, unexplained weight loss of over 10 pounds
• Recurring skin rashes
• Vulnerability to certain kinds of cancers