HIV patient with shingles rash on the right ear and neck. This form of shingles has been made more severe by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which weakens the immune system. Shingles normally only affects a single dermatone (skin area supplied by a nerve), but here many dermatomes are affected. The herpes zoster virus is acquired in chicken pox infections and remains dormant. Immune system weaknesses may allow reactivation, when the virus travels along nerves, causing skin blisters and severe pain.