Each year, there are about 40,000 new infections. In the mid-1990s, AIDS was a leading cause of death. However, newer treatments have cut the AIDS death rate significantly. Some people get fever, headache, sore muscles and joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph glands, or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Most people think it's the flu.
Some people have no symptoms.
The virus will multiply in your body for a few weeks or even months before your immune system responds. During this time, you won't test positive for HIV, but you can infect other people. When your immune system responds, it starts to make antibodies. After the first flu-like symptoms, some people with HIV stay healthy for ten years or longer. But during this time, HIV is damaging your immune system.