You are confusing HIV infection and AIDS. The former is the virus, the latter is the end-stage disease. It takes the virus years to reach the viral loads neces

You are confusing HIV infection and AIDS. The former is the virus, the latter is the end-stage disease. It takes the virus years to reach the viral loads necessary to damage the immune system to a noticeable degree. Sure, HIV has some tricks before that point, but patients are generally not immunocompromised until AIDS enters the picture.