“If I get it every year and still catch the flu, is it pointless?” “Do healthy people need the shot?”
Deciding whether or not to get the influenza vaccine is a perennial question. However, based on 2025 data, the vaccine’s greatest value is clearly in “preventing severe illness” rather than just “preventing infection.”
For the elderly, pregnant individuals, and those with underlying conditions, it is an essential preventative measure—an “absolute must-do”—that significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. Even for healthy adults and children, it offers major benefits in preventing absences from work or school closures, and stopping the spread of infection to family members.
Influenza Vaccine: Should You Get It or Not?
| Your Group | Recommendation Level | Rationale (2025 Database) |
| Ages 65+ | ★★★★★ Absolute Must-Get | 10–30x higher risk of severe illness. Drastically reduces mortality risk (60–80% effective). |
| Pregnant Women | ★★★★★ Absolute Must-Get | Significantly reduces severe illness risk for both mother and fetus. Safety for the fetus is confirmed. |
| Underlying Conditions (Diabetes, heart, respiratory, kidney disease, etc.) | ★★★★★ Absolute Must-Get | Hospitalization risk is 5–10x higher → Vaccine cuts this risk by half or more. |
| Elementary/Middle School Students(Especially in group settings) | ★★★★☆ Highly Recommended | Great for avoiding class closures + preventing transmission to family. |
| Nursery/Kindergarten Children | ★★★★☆ Highly Recommended | 2 doses lead to 70–90% effectiveness in preventing illness. |
| Healthy Adults (20s–50s, office workers) | ★★★☆☆ Recommended | Illness prevention rate of 40–60% + high probability of zero work absences. |
| Healthcare, Nursery, Care Workers | ★★★★★ Mandatory Level | Workplace rules + essential for preventing transmission to vulnerable people. |
| Perfectionists who hate getting the flu | ★★★★☆ Worth It | If you “absolutely do not want to get sick,” the peace of mind alone is a major benefit. |
| Catch the flu every year despite vaccination | ★★☆☆☆ Marginal | The vaccine’s main goal is “preventing severe illness.” Mild infections are sometimes unavoidable. |
Season Forecast (National Institute of Infectious Diseases/MHLW)
- A triple epidemic is predicted: Type A (H1N1pdm + H3N2) + Type B Victoria lineage.
- Severe cases among those unvaccinated last year were 1.8 times higher → High value in getting the shot this year.
Financial and Time Cost/Benefit Analysis (2025 Average)
| Item | Getting the Shot | Not Getting the Shot |
| Cost | Adult approx. ¥4,000 | Child 2 doses approx. ¥7,000 |
| Time | 30 minutes to 1 hour wait time | 3–7 days confined to bed with high fever |
| Side Effects | Sore arm + slight fever for 1 day (10–20% of people) | 38–40°C fever and full-body aches for 5 days |
Conclusion
- For the elderly, those with underlying conditions, children, pregnant women, and healthcare personnel → The option not to vaccinate does not exist.
- Even for healthy adults aged 20–50, if you “don’t want to miss work” or “don’t want to infect family,”vaccinating is 100 times better.
- To those who think “It’s pointless because I catch it every year” → The biggest effect is actually preventing you from becoming severely ill.
At-Home Testing Kit Ranking (Combined COVID-19 and Influenza)
Here is the English translation of the ranking table for at-home diagnostic kits that test for both COVID-19 and Influenza A/B:
| Rank | Product Name (Manufacturer) | Targets Detected | Sensitivity (Detection Rate) (Estimate: 12-48h Post-Onset) | Result Time | Approximate Price (Per Test) | Suitability for Pregnant Women / Children | Key Features & Availability |
| 1 | Panbio COVID-19/Flu A&B | COVID + Flu A/B | COVID: Approx. 90% | Flu: Approx. 85% | 15 mins | ¥1,980 – ¥2,480 | ◎ (Shallow Nasal Swab) |
| 2 | クイックナビ-Flu+COVID | Same (COVID + Flu A/B) | COVID: 88% | Flu: 80–85% | 15–20 mins | ¥1,780 – ¥2,200 | ◎ (Designed for children’s use) |
| 3 | KBMラインチェック nCoV/Flu | Same (COVID + Flu A/B) | COVID: 85% | Flu: Approx. 80% | 15 mins | ¥1,480 – ¥1,980 | ◎ |
| 4 | イージードック Flu＆COVID-19 | Same (COVID + Flu A/B) | COVID: 87% | Flu: 82% | 15 mins | ¥2,200 – ¥2,600 | ◎ (Many cases of use by pregnant women) |
