We report a case of 45-yr-old HIV positive male who presented with herpes zoster oticus at the time of diagnosis of his HIV status. The patient had vertigo, painful vesicular eruptions on the right ear and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The etiology, diagnosis and treatment of herpes zoster are discussed in detail in this report. We report this case to raise awareness among the general practitioners to investigate for HIV when they diagnose cases of herpes zoster.
Keywords: Facial palsy; Geniculate ganglion; HIV; Herpes zoster; India.