Since 2006, a vaccination has been available for shingles, the painful skin and nerve damage caused by the chickenpox virus (varicella zoster, a herpes virus). But the vax is a weakened form of live virus, so it was not approved for people with suppressed immune systems.

Now a small study shows that people whose HIV is controlled by meds can safely get the shingles vax. Two shots of the vaccine, six weeks apart, proved safe and possibly effective in positive people with undetectable HIV and CD4 counts of 200 and above.