In which stage of infection might a patient begin to experience feelings of illness or fatigue?

The prodromal stage is characterized by the onset of non-specific symptoms, where a patient starts to recognize that something is wrong with their health. During this phase, individuals often experience mild symptoms such as feelings of illness, fatigue, malaise, and possibly minor aches and pains. These symptoms are usually vague and not specific to any one illness, which distinguishes this stage from others.

In the context of infection, while the acute stage features the most severe symptoms and the incubation stage refers to the period after exposure but before symptoms appear, the prodromal stage marks the transition to the more obvious manifestations of illness. The declining stage occurs after the acute phase when symptoms begin to subside, which is not characterized by the initial feelings of illness. Therefore, the prodromal stage is where patients typically start to feel fatigued or unwell, signaling the onset of a more definitive infectious process.