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When you have to miss nearly a week of work due to the flu, the most serious concern, alongside anxiety about return dates, is the economic impact of "Will my salary be zero?" If the company doesn't offer special leave or sufficient paid annual leave, many people brace for an "unpaid absence."However, influenza is a guaranteed condition for the Sickness and Injury Allowance (Shoˉbyoˉ Teate-kin) paid by health insurance. This is a vital safety net for workers that provides 2/3 (approx. 66.7%) of your standard daily remuneration if you are absent for 4 or more consecutive days, even after you have used up all your paid leave.

When diagnosed with the flu, alongside anxiety about days off and the return date, the financial anxiety about "What happens to my salary for a week of rest?" is a serious concern. Whether the time off is treated as "paid annual leave," "unpaid absence," or "special leave" uniquely defined by the company depends on the workplace rules.However, as of 2025, employee benefits in Japan have significantly improved. According to the survey results in this article, approximately 65-70% of working people in Japan can manage the flu using "Special Leave with 100% Salary."

After recovering from the flu, the most pressing concern is determining "When can I return to work?" While there is a desire to return quickly, rules to prevent the spread of infection are strictly defined based on occupation and company size.As of 2025, the rule that approximately 75% of workers in Japan follow—"5 days must pass since onset AND a full 2 days (48 hours) must pass since fever subsided"—has become the de facto national standard.

When you contract the flu, the most pressing concerns are"Exactly how many days will I have to take off?"and"What happen...

When you contract the flu, the "home isolation (suspension from work/school) period" varies strictly depending on your occupation and position. For schools, civil servants, and medical/caregiving sectors, there are clear legal/institutional rules of "5 days since onset + 2 days since fever subsides." However, for general company employees, especially those in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), these rules tend to be ambiguous.

When diagnosed with the flu, the question of "How many days should a student stay home?" and "When can an office worker return to work?" needs to be answered immediately. The rest period is crucial not just for recovery, but also for preventing the spread of infection to others.Under the 2025 guidelines, the required rest period for influenza has two strict conditions: "5 days must pass since onset" and "2 days must pass since fever subsides (3 days for infants/preschoolers)." Based on this calculation, the total rest period is generally a minimum of about 7 days.

The Quadrivalent (DPT-IPV) vaccine is mandatory for children, but do you assume "adults no longer need a booster shot"? If so, this is a major mistake. Especially, immunity against Tetanus wanes after about 10 years, and an infection from soil or a wound can be life-threatening for adults, with a mortality rate of 10%∼50%.However, the question of whether you need to be boosted for "all components" is usually "overkill."

When your child receives the Quadrivalent (DPT-IPV) vaccine, have you heard alarming stories from parents or grandparents about the old DPT (Triple) vaccine? Tales like "The side effects were terrible, I got a fever close to 40∘C," or "The injection site swelled hugely, and bathing was strictly forbidden."In fact, this perception is the true root of modern vaccination myths, such as "No bathing after the flu shot." The old DPT vaccine from the 1970s ∼ 80s was indeed a "vaccine of terror" with a high risk of severe reactions due to its manufacturing method.However, the current Quadrivalent (DPT-IPV) vaccine has evolved to a completely different level of safety. This article thoroughly explains the entire scope of this dramatic evolution—with the fever rate dropping from 50% to 1% and severe swelling becoming nearly zero—using a complete comparison chart with the old DPT.

Myths like "No bathing for 6 hours after the influenza vaccine" are deeply rooted for other vaccines as well. Many of these originated from "outdated manufacturing methods or fears of past infectious diseases" and have been successively withdrawn by the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Japan Pediatric Society, and the CDC. Below are the most common myths heard in Japan, explained with scientific evidence, detailing "why they were born" and "the truth."

After getting the influenza vaccine, have you ever been told by a nurse or doctor, "Please take only a shower today and wait 6 hours before taking a bath"? Although many hospitals now say, "You can go right away," this "6-hour post-vaccination waiting rule" stubbornly persisted as a long-standing custom in Japan.