Shingles is not one of the infections that leads to a diagnosis of AIDS, but people with lower T-cell counts seem to develop shingles more often than healthy people of the same age. Herpes zoster lives in nerve tissue. Outbreaks of shingles start with severe pain in a belt-like pattern on the chest, back, or in the eye and forehead. These outbreaks are almost always on just one side of the body. A day or two later, a rash appears on the skin area related to the inflamed nerve.
Small blisters form, and crust over.
The virus can be transmitted to other people when the blisters break open. In rare cases, shingles can spread throughout the skin or internal organs, and can cause serious complications. In most cases, the rash goes away in 10 days to two weeks, but severe pain can last for months or years. Both famciclovir and galaciclovir are taken three times each day, compared to five times for acyclovir. All of these drugs work best when they are started within the first three days after the shingles pain begins.