What does the asymptomatic period refer to?
In HIV infected individuals, more severe and persistent symptoms may not surface for 10 years or possibly longer after HIV first enters the adult body. This asymptomatic infection period is highly variable from person to person. Some people can have symptoms within a few months, whereas others will not have any symptoms for 10 years or more. During this asymptomatic period of HIV infection the virus is actively reproducing itself and infecting and destroying cells of the immune system (cells that help fight infection and disease).
