Princess Aiko has pneumonia, agency says

I wouldn't like to get that, nasty illness. Hope she feels better. Hope they pump up her immune system, not her resistance to antibiotics.

Thank goodness she doesnt have a mother who would call her pathetic and weak, slap her upside the head and send her on into school. I really hope she gets better very soon.

My son caught that, our first summer here. He was 5. Scary. High fevers, rattling cough, noisy breathing...

They called it "micoplasma" pneumonia. They had no extra bed for me to stay with him in the hospital, so I took him home, and brought him in for daily outpatient IV treatments, for 3 consecutive days, instead.

It was heart wrenching, watching them put an IV in his little arm, but the treatments did the trick; cut it right down to size.

I hope the treatments help this little girl, also.

Yeah, this seems to be the sickness de jour these days. Truth be told, I had never heard of microplasma pneumonia until this year, but at least 3 of my students have had it, and they were told to stay at home for a week. It is really too bad that this is big news, but I guess that is what happens when you are part of the royal family, like it or not.

Mycoplasma got my 2 kids too,that sucker is getting every kid this season,feel well little princess.

I don't know anything about children, but I just hope Princess Aiko will get better soon!

Some readers here said really mean things about her thinking it was only a cold yesterday...i hope they regretted it after reading the title. Pneumonia is extremely dangerous if not treated properly. I hope she gets better soon...

I doubt it, some people dont have a maternal bone in their bodies, Antonios, or see any wrong in calling little 9 year old girls pathetic and weak and saying they will never have a happy life.

Hardly surprising, as the overprotected life she leads in her IHA bubble is a surefire way of lowering resistance to infections.

Well, at least now we know what is really going on. I hope she gets better soon. I would be really worried if one of my kids was hospitalised with pneumonia (touch wood so far no-one has had it). Kids die from this every year. Well, she is in the best place for treatment now, so here is hoping she makes a speedy recovery.

Pneumonia is a nasty business. I've had it once and my daughter twice. Just had a guy at work come back after two weeks out and he's on half days for another week. If you have a deep cough and a fever get to the doctor. This is one you want to get rid of early.

So it was more than a cold. Poor kid. I hope she's feeling better soon.

It would be nice if they had some file photos of her in grubby T-shirt and jeans, hair loose, running around the gardens of the palace with her doggies with a sparkle in her eye. She's always scrubbed clean and just-so.

odaiji ni.

This is one you want to get rid of early.

Absolutely, excellent advice. My lungs are still scarred from a bout when I was 15 that was misdiagnosed by an incompetent GP and by the time they actually DID realise what was going on (I was speeded to A&E one night) it was far more difficult to treat.

How come Japan is not encouraging children under 12 yrs old and seniors over 60 yrs old to get a pneumonia vaccination? This could be avoided. It is widely available here in US. I am praying for her fast recovery.

Odaiji ni, little one.

pneumonia? thats not an illness on the island...its either stress or tsukaretta....theres a 3rd????

How come Japan is not encouraging children under 12 yrs old and seniors over 60 yrs old to get a pneumonia vaccination?

global watcher, big assumption there- actually they are being encouraged to get the vax. I have seen TV ads in the last few weeks as well as posters at our local clinic encouraging those over 65 to get the streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination, and in most wards in Tokyo it is either free or subsidised for small children, not sure until what age though. I took my baby for his third strep pneumoniae jab last week- one more to go to finish the course.

I'm sure it's not possible to cover all bugs that cause pneumonia though- very much hope my little boy doesn't catch the one that's going around at the moment if it's different.

It's good the parents decided to take her to the hospital because as some people assumed that a cold is nothing serious that it requires medical attention. It's no one's business whether or not she goes to the hospital because you are not the parents who knows the child better than anybody else. I see kindness in this child, get well soon Princess Aiko.

I knew it was quite serious the moment Aiko was taken to University of Tokyo Hospital, because members of the Imperial Family and others are usually taken to the the Imperial Household Agency Hospital for treatment.

One wonders if the Imperial Household Agency read the dismissive comments on the JT page, and upgraded her illness from a cold to pneumonia?

Whilst hoping that she does recover soon, I can't help agreeing that the constant isolation of the "IHA bubble" contributes to the general weakness of all the family members. Then again, Japanese children in general are rarely outside playing; it's all juku, TV, Gameboys and PS3 until it's time to go to bed.

Whoa, pneunomia is serious! Hope she recovers soon.

Good point, wanderlust. How can anyone build up antibodies if they don't get exposed to germs etc? I have a neighbor who's paranoid about dirt etc & her kids are always sick. I swear if there was $100 on the ground & they reached to pick it up, she'd freak out cos it's dirty.

And I think the people here who were supposedly mean to Aiko chan the other day because she was in hospital with a "cold" weren't aiming it at her, but at the IHA & the whole Japanese thing about rushing to the hospital at the first sneeze.

Hope she's OK, poor kid & parents too.

How come Japan is not encouraging children under 12 yrs old and seniors over 60 yrs old to get a pneumonia vaccination?

It would be better to stay away from these vaccinations because they likely cause a significantly worse form of pneumonia to develop. This life-threatening lung disease, called Serotype 1, has become ten times more prevalent in ten years.

Serotype 1 pneumonia causes the pleura, the lining of the lungs, to become infected. The disease is suffered primarily by children, who experience fear from difficulty breathing and severe pain.

It looks like pharmaceutical firms have created the perfect vaccine, at least from their point of view. They make millions of dollars by convincing governments and doctors that it's going to save lives. Then, the vaccine creates an even worse disease. Of course –- from their point of view –- this "requires" the creation of yet another vaccine, from which they can make even more millions. It sounds like the perfect endless money-making by disease-creation loop –- at least, from the point of view of the drug companies.

Coconut oil can offer pneumonia patients a faster and more complete recovery. Children who received doses of coconut oil recovered much faster than those who did not. On average, the children who took coconut oil had a normal respiratory rate after less than 33 hours. The other children’s rate normalized after about 48 hours. The children who received coconut oil showed reduced fevers, clear breathing and normal blood oxygenation faster than the control group.

I hope Aiko will feel better soon.

So sad to hear the bad news.....get well soon little Princess

I sincerely hope she feels better soon. Pneumonia is something a lot of people equate as "just a really bad cold" but it can absolutely be lethal, especially to those with weakened or not yet fully developed immune systems.

@ acurasan, " I see kindness in this child, get well soon Princess Aiko."

Me too. Alas, I see many hawks behind her too. How nice when Japan has a warm, well beloved Empire, instead of a stern, fortified one. (It's obvious the Emperor, Empress Michiko, Prince Naruhito, Princess Masako are all working very hard toward that end, it's just that there is the system.)

Wishing her; "Take care and get well soon. It is great that you have such a loving mother to stand by you when you need her."

It's no joke,I had it and I still remember awfully bad it was.

Tmarie, I hope you are on your knees, apologizing.

Had it myself twice as an adult, not pleasant.

o-diaji ni.

My daughter was hospitalized at age 2 with a very serious case only last year. It's a nasty illness and can take a while to get over. It's really scary as a parent just to have a child admired suddenly to a hospital. Then to watch their little bodies being hooked upto drips etc. The hospital my daughter was admitted to was brilliant. The doctors were very sensitive to what the parents and siblings were going through AND totally professional. I was most impressed.

Hope the little princess starts feeling better soon.

Flu shots do nothing, and I always have to stifle the urge to chuckle when people who got flu shots say they came down with the flu. Of course, I don't chuckle in the end because the flu CAN be serious, and I hope that aside from this being blown out of proportion little Aiko pulls through it just fine.

It's no one's business whether or not she goes to the hospital

Yet THEY published it. And to be honest, as the people who are supporting the royal family via our taxes, don't we have a "right" to know?

I hope she's feeling better but it certainly doesn't change how I view her upbringing.

Yet THEY published it. And to be honest, as the people who are supporting the royal family via our taxes, don't we have a "right" to know?

not really...people are entitled to privacy. By your "logic" then we should had access to all information of every person that gets paid by our taxes....ie every single government employee and every single person drawing social security.

They have a right to privacy, you dont have a right to know.

In your opinion. I personally don't care but it seems they do want people to know - or they wouldn't have contacted the media about it. They can't have it both ways. Either you want privacy or you don't.

Although I'm sympathetic to the plight of little Aiko and her parents, I can't help wishing that the MSM would pay more attention to the plight of certain other children in this land. (Especially the ones in Fukushima.)

And as far as I can see tmarie doesn't have any issues with that little girl. She does seem to have issues with the ridiculous institution that is raising her. As do I, and a few other people here.

Anyway, get well soon Aiko-chama. I know a few parents who have made the emergency room dash, and I wouldn't wish their experiences on anyone.

-----" And to be honest, as the people who are supporting the royal family via our taxes, don't we have a "right" to know? I hope she's feeling better but it certainly doesn't change how I view her upbringing."-----

The right o know? You didn't want to know, you wanted to judge. It alawys amazes me how people can draw their conclusions simply because commentators or news items say so, without bothering to think what's could be behind. ( pneumonia could be behind "cold".) 1) You pay taxes to support the royal family so you can work here without incidents. Japan is historically a factious society, with Emperor high up there, people will do dogfight alright, yet fighting as dogs, and not as LORDS. (LORD Ozawa would have brought Chinese language teachers in to teach Chinese here, and you are out). 2) Discredit the Prncess, to disqualify her for the job as Empress, such as: she will grow up a weakling, a few boys run around her and she has a breakdown and refuses to attend classes. Pathetic. Takes after her mom it seems, etc, so that a boy will be the Emperor, but never an Empress, etc.

Wish you a very quick recovery little one, I am sure all the good sentiments you are receiving will help

It would be nice if they had some file photos of her in grubby T-shirt and jeans, hair loose, running around the gardens of the palace with her doggies with a sparkle in her eye. She's always scrubbed clean and just-so.

Will never happen.

In your opinion. I personally don't care but it seems they do want people to know - or they wouldn't have contacted the media about it. They can't have it both ways. Either you want privacy or you don't.

They don't control it, love. The Kunaicho controls the output of information.

As part of the Imperial Family, her health would be of national interest. While "Joe Normalperson" could expect some privacy regarding his health, those in the Emperor's family do not have such a luxury. It's just another example of how being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I had pneumonia as a kid too. I was about the same age. Hope she's not allergic to the oral penicillin. Those bicillin shots hurt like hell.

Taka

My son got this last year. They were treating it like a cold, but the fever just kept coming back. After about the 3rd incompetent paediatrician, we took him to a large hospital where they realised what it was. If your child seems to have a cold with a high fever and it doesn't go down very soon take the Wikipedia article on mycoplasma pneumonia and teach the physician what it is. It's been in all the papers since last year so some physicians here may have even heard of it.

Boost that girl immune system with natural ways that include vitamins, minerals and herbs.

I too had a weak immune system, I was ill 4 to 5 times a year and resolve the problem with allopathic medecine. I didn't get any cold in 3 years.

like there is 1 child die from malnutrition every 6 minutes. i know i have no control on what news wants to post here but she is not even dead yet why is this on the news? I may sound insensitive but there are waaaaaaaaaay more unfortunate children around japan(fukushima) or malnourished children from poor countries that needs more attention.

poor kid. shes unfortunate enough to be experiencing tripple whammy stressors: being a kid in Japan, being in the Japanese royal family and being a kid in the japanese royal family. hope she gets well soon.

Get well soon Aiko sanma!

like there is 1 child die from malnutrition every 6 minutes. i know i have no control on what news wants to post here but she is not even dead yet why is this on the news? I may sound insensitive but there are waaaaaaaaaay more unfortunate children around japan(fukushima) or malnourished children from poor countries that needs more attention.

You are free to write this article you seem is missing (unless you live in mainland China or North Korea, of course).

Just like back in Britain, the monarchy is very important to them. Especially to the older generations. Whilst I feel for the little princess, being a parent whose child was seriously ill with the same illness only last year, yes, I can appreciate other kids worldwide are suffering worst fates on a never ending daily basis. It reminds me of Princess Diana. Her new dress at some party or other was headline news eclipsing famine, genocide and other tragic stories. Think Depeche Mode...now I am showing my age... Even wrote a song about it!

But...whatever, to the family involved with a sick, hospitalized child, their world is that child and nothing outside of that world matters to them.

Umm, NO!!! I do believe that tmarie suggested that the little princess needed to be slapped about the had,just like tmarie's mother had done,and then sent to school. That's pretty heartless to me, and I grew up getting "smacked around" myself although, I'm guessing/hoping in a different manner than you. My youngest daughter has two older sisters and was exposed to other children, which is how she got MRSA....I don't wish that on anyone, watching your child suffer, having to take med that's used to treat anthrax exposure, not knowing if she's gonna make it......yeah, I'm glad she has a caring mother. Get well, Princess

No Kamala, that wasn't what I suggested - nor something my mother actually did.

Like I said, I hope she gets better soon but this doesn't change my opinion on how she's being raised. If you think putting that poor kid in a glass room and treating her with velvet clothes is the way to raise a child, by all means agree with it. I don't. She's going to have a hell of a time when she's an adult and if she ever gets married, she'll be a commoner. Baby birds raised in cages don't know how to fly. She won't either.