Crown princess has stomach flu

"While she developed a fever on Tuesday, possibly caused by a norovirus, which can provoke vomiting and diarrhea, . . . "

Thanks for sharing this.

And, by the way, there is no such thing as "stomach flu."

Masako, struggling to adjust to royal life, has for years suffered from a stress-induced illness.

Translation: The IHO managed to wring any spark of life and individuality from her, so she now suffers from severe depression.

Poor Masako. Norovirus can be nasty and debilitating, and there appears to be a lot of it about at the moment. An infected person is contagious both before symptoms show and for several days up to a week or so after symptoms disappear. The Imperial cleaning staff needs to disinfect with bleach every loo the princess has used, as well as every door knob and surface she has touched, and all her eating utensils, towels, etc. And make sure she gets lots of fluids.

Chez cleo young and old had it over the holidays, and it's not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. Dunno what medication Masako has been given - the doctor told us there is no medication that works on novovirus. All he could give us was kanpoyaku to ease the symptoms.

So do a lot of people. What of it? I wonder if the young lady would appreciate us all knowing about her bodily excretions and what not. Anyway, hope she, like anyone else who is sick, gets well soon.

So do a lot of people. What of it?

Maybe a bit of heightened awareness will encourage people to be a bit more careful about handwashing, etc., so that fewer people get it?

Please get well Princess Masako!!!

Sorry princess masako-chan!!! Get better! Ill pray every day!!!

A lot of it about, and had it myself on New Years Day. Lovely!

Get well soon.

Why even the mention of noro when they don't know that is what it is? Why report this anyway?

it's definitely going around. my husband i already had it.. get well princess!!

And, by the way, there is no such thing as "stomach flu."

Maybe AFP's reporter couldn't spell "viral gastroenteritis."

Gotta wash your hands properly, Masako!

Cleo: "Maybe a bit of heightened awareness will encourage people to be a bit more careful about handwashing, etc., so that fewer people get it?"

True, you could call it an indirect public service announcement, but in that case I think an actual public service announcement might suffice. :)

her husband and their daughter, Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Aiko, have not been affected,

Didn't they eat the same food? I don't know the imperial palace but I don't think they have restaurants, fast food chains to freely go down and eat. They eat what they are given. How did it happen?

Poor woman. All my friends say she deserves her fate, how could she think she would have better life there and how did she dare set foot into a rigid scary place like that, specifically when she doesn't fit in at all. I don't think so. It's just a single mistake she made and all her life is wasted. I hope this sickness is not another ijime from the IHO or a warning for her for something more serious if she insist of being herself. Poor woman.

＞I think an actual public service announcement might suffice.

Couldn't agree more.

Darn bug robbed me of a week of my life.

And, by the way, there is no such thing as "stomach flu."

Very good point, I can't tell you how many times I hear the word "Flu," and 9 times out of 10 they just have some bug going around.

And, by the way, there is no such thing as "stomach flu."

Often just called the "two-bob bits".

Cleo, it is Noro and not Novo.

Nasty stuff no matter how you spell it.

Didn't they eat the same food? I don't know the imperial palace but I don't think they have restaurants, fast food chains to freely go down and eat. They eat what they are given. How did it happen?

The Munya Times, Princess Masako's illness was most likely caused by a virus, not food poisoning, so what she and her family ate has nothing to do with it since norovirus etc are usually transmitted person-to-person.

Interesting to see so many here had norovirus or something like it over New Year- we did too, and managed to take it overseas with us and give it to my family there as well (we came down with it the day after arriving in my home country so pretty sure we caught it in Japan). It was nasty but we were all over it in 24 hours and didn't need any medication. If Masako had a fever on Tuesday she is probably well over it by now.

Didn't they eat the same food? I don't know the imperial palace but I don't think they have restaurants, fast food chains to freely go down and eat. They eat what they are given. How did it happen?

Noro (not novo!) can be transmitted via food, but it's more likely to be passed person-to-person. Maybe some member of the Imperial household (one of Masako's personal maids?)brought it in on their hands.

How badly people are affected varies depending on a number of factors, including, apparently, blood type - people with type O are likely to have a harder time than others. In our family, everyone with a direct English link (me, the kids and the grandkid) got it bad, while the Japanese-only men in the family merely lost their appetites for a couple of days, and the Japanese-only ladies were completely unscathed. Apsara was lucky to be over it in 24 hours - I did one day thinking I had a really bad hangover, then three days prostrate and another 3 days tottering about the house feeling weak and wobbly. Never again. (I hope!)

Now I understand why my family dropped all the "titles" - I would hate it if everytime I caught whatever "bug", it would be made public ! I feel very sorry for the Princess and hope she gets better very soon but in her place, finding out that all of Japan knew I was sick would make me even sicker... No privacy for the Royals...

@Apsara @cleo

Point taken, thanks for making it. I thought it needs a relatively bigger amount of virus e.g. via infected food to get sick.

How did it happen?

Families that get kids (or adults) going to school tend to catch all the viruses around. If you live on a desert island and you meet nobody, you are "protected" from that, but you'll get things from mosquitoes.

Diarrhea? Serious? we don't need to know this! Do you think any other country releases a press release when their Royal family or president has a case of the craps?

Diarrhea? Serious? we don't need to know this! Do you think any other country releases a press release when their Royal family or president has a case of the craps?

Sadly my country (Great Britain) gets treated to a press release when any of our parasitic royals has so much as a cold. We haemorrhage tax money by the hundreds of millions of pounds to pay for the privileged lifestyles of these useless inbred dullards, and in return we get a sickening feudalistic celebrity culture.

From the apparent importance of this non-story, it appears that Japan appears from the same thing, though at least the imperial family have achieved things as private citizens.

people with type O are likely to have a harder time than others

I was interested when I was looking for information on norovirus to see the O blood type effect- me and the family members, including Japanese people, who came down with it all have type O blood. Some people who I might have expected to catch it since they were around us the whole time we were sick were totally unscathed- I'm waiting until they are back from their holidays to ask what their blood type is.

Sorry you are ill Your Highness, please be well soon.

That norovirus sounds scary. Cleo's insights are very informative. I am sorry to hear you had to go through such an ordeal. I hope that Princess Masako will recover soon from it too.

What I don't understand is how I ate nothing for three days yet lost not an ounce of weight. :(

All you want to know about norovirus, and then some - http://www.medicinenet.com/norovirus_infection/article.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus

Get well soon. Multiple trips to the royal toilet is no fun

For those fretting over the privacy of the royals, they can have privacy as soon as they stop sucking up pubic tax money.

That said, I would much rather some other news, something important, rather than a piece about the latest illness of a royal. I am not fond of tabloid bits. Not fond of the royals either.

Seems like the Royal family has been suffering a lot of sickness lately. I hope they get better care for themselves.

Ugh, I had the noro virus five years ago, and still have vivid memories of it. Nasty stuff. Get well soon Masako,

Why do these news stories about CP Masako always include the doleful observation that she is "struggling to adjust to royal life"? It has been years! I would say that she has adjusted and this is it. Sorry, pet peeve.

Why do these news stories about CP Masako always include the doleful observation that she is "struggling to adjust to royal life"? It has been years! I would say that she has adjusted and this is it.

The best line I've read, you hit it on the head....