Psychological and social investigations of tropical diseases can make a significant contribution to understanding and managing many illnesses. One-hundred and seventy-five Malawian university students rated peopled who suffered from AIDS, malaria, schistosomiasis and the ‘common cold’, on 11 psycho-social dimensions related to illness. Analysis of variance and factor analysis was used to distinguish distinctive illness profiles reflecting perceptions of (people with) these illnesses. Results suggested that infirmity was associated with AIDS and that the seriousness of malaria was minimized. Within a context of many threats to health the importance of distinguishing between serious illnesses is emphasized for effective health promotion interventions.