SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

Infection (exposure)	Sexual Intercourse. Blood transfusion, Intravenous drug abuse, Mother to unborn child.
Influenza like illness	2 - 3 weeks after infection (fever, fatigue, rash). Subsides on its own, often without the patient noticing it. So transient it is, that the very occurrence of this is being doubted.
Seroconversion	6 - 12 weeks. HIV test now becomes positive. Patient absolutely fit and normal. Till this stage only the most advanced tests can help diagnose AIDS. (This period can be as long as 6 months also
Enlargement of lymph nodes.AIDS related complex (weight loss, fever, diarrhoea, oral ulcers, herpes).	Depending on the patients own immunity and how severe the initial infection is, these related stages come at roughly around 5 years (but this is variable - a long period if infection is through intercourse and short if by blood transfusion)
AIDS (Symptomatic HIV)	20 % of those infected develop it in 5 years and 50 % in 10 years. Till this stage the patient is merely HIV positive. AIDS is labelled when the patient has        I) Opportunistic Infections ii) A malignancy called Kaposis Sarcoma and iii) some neurological deficit. After this the patient soon succumbs. (See Note  6.)

Note:

1. A patient is infectious to others right from the moment of infection. A receiver can /may manifest symptoms much earlier than one who hands over the infection.
2. Infection can only occur, (essentially) if the viruses enter the blood stream and not merely surface contact.
3. Only recently has it been confirmed that a few cases despite being HIV positive 13- 14 years ago have not as yet developed AIDS.
4. There have been reports of some CSW's/ patients not acquiring AIDS despite continuous exposure to the virus. [Active research is going on this direction also, as to why are some persons naturally resistant to HIV]
5. Doubtful reports talk of spontaneous reversal of HIV status.
6. Present terminology is symptomatic HIV (i.e. AIDS is now more properly called Symptomatic HIV) and asymptomatic HIV. Terms like AIDS or full-blown AIDS are no longer in vogue.