Shingles rash in an AIDS patient. Shingles rash on the right shoulder of a 20-year-old man from Africa with AIDS. Multidermatomal herpes zoster is a form of shingles made more severe by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV weakens the patient's immune system that defends against infections. The herpes zoster virus lies dormant after a chicken pox infection. When it reactivates, it damages the skin's nerves and causes blisters and severe pain. Because it travels along nerves, it is restricted to one side of the body. The lesions healed slowly over 4 weeks. Slow healing is common in AIDS and tropical medicine. M112/293 is a view from behind of this patient.