Oprah Winfrey recovers after emergency room visit for illness – BlackDoctor.org

Oprah Winfrey missed some appearances after a stomach illness landed the media mogul in the emergency room.

Oprah’s BFF Gayle King, 69, revealed that Winfrey, 70, was hospitalized with a stomach virus and dehydration while on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, June 11. Later that day, King decided to FaceTime Winfrey to help set the record straight. King shared the news of Winfrey’s health as she spoke about her absence during a scheduled appearance on the morning show to reveal her latest book club pick — Familiaris by David Wroblewski.

“I won’t be too explicit. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydrated, and had to get an IV,” King said, calling it “a very serious thing” and that her friend needed to rest.

“She’ll be fine.” I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail,” King told viewers. “But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and it bothered her really sorry for not being able to be there for you today.”

Is there a stomach problem?

Norovirus, the highly contagious stomach illness that causes vomiting and diarrhea, is still spreading in the United States. Outbreaks increased this winter after the holidays, but cases of the nasty virus are increasing in parts of the country.

The respiratory virus season may end as spring approaches in the United States, but the 2023-2024 norovirus season is still underway. Nationally, norovirus is circulating at its highest level since last April, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After sweeping the Northeast earlier this year, norovirus is now surging across the Midwest and other areas, sickening thousands of people. Norovirus, commonly known as “stomach flu” or “food poisoning,” has also caused multiple outbreaks on cruise ships this year.

Norovirus spreads easily among people living in enclosed environments and tends to peak during the cooler winter months. As thousands of Americans travel this month for spring break and Easter, U.S. health officials are urging people to take steps to stop the spread.

Although norovirus is often called “stomach flu,” it is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza viruses.

Norovirus is a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines., according to the CDC. This can lead to intense vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps.

What are the symptoms of stomach bug?

Symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure. They are often sudden and very unpleasant, but most people recover on their own.

“It’s the dreaded virus that leaves us in the bathroom for about a day or two, we’ve all been there,” NBC News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula said in a TODAY segment.

Norovirus is very contagious and anyone can become infected. Each year in the United States, it causes about 20 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 465,000 emergency room visits, 109,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths, according to the CDC.

Although norovirus can spread year-round, outbreaks are most common in late fall, winter, and early spring. As of late March, norovirus cases continue to rise in the United States

According to the latest data from labs across the country reporting to the CDC, the rate of norovirus tests coming back positive, on average over three weeks, was nearly 14% as of April 11, up from about 9% in mid-January.

Outbreaks have also increased steadily in recent months. Between August 1, 2023 and April 9, 2024, 1,208 norovirus outbreaks were reported by the 15 states participating in the CDC’s NoroSTAT surveillance program. During the same period last seasonal year, 986 norovirus outbreaks were reported by these states.

How is Oprah now?

In a clip shared to Instagram, King spoke virtually with the veteran talk show host and confirmed she was not in the hospital.

“I never said you were hospitalized, I said you had something in your stomach, sticking out both sides, which you did,” King said in the video.

“I was in the emergency room, I was so dehydrated,” Winfrey responded. “I had a dry mouth and couldn’t retain enough water to hydrate, so I went to the emergency room for that, and that was it.”

Winfrey then shared that she “is not 100 (percent), I’m on my way to 100,” adding that five people in her household had also fallen ill with the same virus.

A spokesperson for Winfrey told PEOPLE, “Ms. Winfrey is recovering from a stomach virus and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor,” adding, “She is resting and feels better every day. »