Symptoms of the acute phase of HIV usually occur about 3-6 weeks after the initial HIV infection. Some patients will develop symptoms due to the presence of HIV viremia in their bodies. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, general malaise, muscle aches, joint pain, rash, swollen lymph nodes, etc. Most patients have mild symptoms that last 1-3 weeks. The majority of patients have mild symptoms that resolve on their own in about 1-3 weeks. In fact, most of these symptoms are not specific and cannot be used to determine whether a patient is infected with HIV, but a blood test for antibodies or antigens should be done to determine whether a patient is infected with HIV. Once the infection is confirmed, treatment with antiviral drugs should be administered as soon as possible to avoid progression to the AIDS stage.