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.
DPT (Triple) vs. The Current 2025 Quadrivalent Vaccine Complete Comparison Chart
| Item | Old Triple Vaccine (∼ 1980s) | Current 2025 Quadrivalent Vaccine (DPT-IPV) |
| Official Name | DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus) | DPT-IPV (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus + Inactivated Polio Vaccine) |
| Pertussis Component | Whole-cell (Whole, dead B. pertussis bacteria injected) | Acellular (Refined components with toxins removed) |
| Polio Component | None (Oral live polio vaccine was given separately) | Inactivated Polio Virus included (Finished with one injection) |
| Fever Rate (≥38.5∘C) | 40 ∼ 50% | 1 ∼ 3% |
| Injection Site Swelling/Suppuration | 10 ∼ 30% (Severe cases could cause arm necrosis) | Nearly 0% (Slight redness only) |
| Severe Side Effects (e.g., Encephalopathy) | A few cases per million | Nearly zero, even for cases where causality is unclear |
| Post-Vaccination Lifestyle Restriction | No bathing, exercise, or alcohol for 24 hours (Was genuinely necessary) | Immediate bathing, exercise, and alcohol OK (Only a 30-min wait) |
| Doses/Schedule | Multiple shots from 3 months to 7.5 years | From 2 months (Completed with 3 primary doses + 1 booster) |
| Cost | Publicly funded (Routine immunization) | Publicly funded (Routine immunization) |
| Global Reputation | 1970s: “The vaccine with the scariest side effects” | 2025: “One of the safest routine immunization vaccines” |
The Quadrivalent Vaccine Has Evolved This Much in 2025!
| Evolution Point | Specific Content |
| Acellularization | B. pertussis bacteria are broken down and only toxins are removed → Side effects reduced by a factor of 20 or more. |
| Polio Inactivated | Zero risk of side effects (paralysis) associated with the oral live polio vaccine. |
| Increased Purification | Impurities and endotoxins are less than 1/1000 of the level in the 1970s. |
| Simultaneous Vaccination Recommended | Safety and effectiveness are equivalent even when given simultaneously with Hib, pneumococcal, rotavirus, and Hep B vaccines. |
| Actual Feeling of Side Effects | 9 out of 10 parents report the side effects are “milder than the flu vaccine” (2024 Survey). |
Summary
1970s DPT = The terrifying vaccine where “arm necrosis” and “40∘C fevers were normal,” and “bathing prohibition was truly necessary.”
2025 Quadrivalent Vaccine = Super-safe vaccine where side effects are “milder than the flu vaccine” and at a level where you “forget you even got the shot.” → That trauma is a thing of the past, having ended 44 years ago.
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) |
