Actor Kim Ji-mee’s death draws attention to shingles risk for older adults
Kim Ji-mee / Yonhap
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Famed film actor Kim Ji-mee has died at the age of 85, bringing renewed attention to the danger of shingles to older adults.
The Federation of Korea Movie Workers’ Unions said on Wednesday that “Kim Ji-mee passed away in the United States,” adding that “director Lee Jang-ho informed us of her death.” She reportedly suffered from shingles in recent weeks, and her condition worsened before she died.
Born in 1940 in Daedeok County, South Chungcheong Province, Kim made her debut in director Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film “Twilight Train.” She entered the film industry at age 17 after being scouted on the street by the director while she was still in high school.
Her sophisticated looks and acting quickly won over audiences. Over her career, she appeared in more than seven hundred films. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Korean film artists in 2010.
Shingles, which she was reportedly battling, occurs when the dormant chickenpox virus becomes reactivated, causing rashes and severe pain. The risk rises when a person is fatigued or has weakened immunity.
Older adults are especially vulnerable. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 67 percent of shingles patients in 2023 were aged 50 or older.
The challenge is that early symptoms resemble the flu, which can delay treatment. Shingles typically begins with fever and muscle aches before progressing to intense pain. It is characterized by rashes and blisters on areas such as the forehead, neck or back.
As with most illnesses, early treatment is crucial. Park Jeong-ha, a family medicine professor at Kyung Hee University Hospital, said, “If patients miss the golden time for treatment, shingles can leave lifelong complications,” adding that “those in their 60s or older, or people with chronic diseases, may suffer for years or even permanently, significantly reducing quality of life.”
Vaccination is also important. Receiving the vaccine in middle age can prevent up to 97 percent of cases. The vaccine uses a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes shingles. Medical experts recommend vaccination for adults aged 50 and older, and some local governments offer financial support for the shots through their own programs.
This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.