Can I take a shower right after getting vaccinated against influenza?

After getting vaccinated against influenza, this is the question we frequently ask hospitals.

"I can't take a bath today, right?"

If you search Google for the keyword "vaccination, bathing," you will still see the top of the list of "better not to do it" and "better to be careful." In fact, many people have heard of this story when explaining notices or precautions after vaccination at hospitals.

But is that really true?

In the past, there were guidelines not to take a bath on the day of vaccination. There was no specific basis, and it was customary.

The current state is that this content is solidified with common sense, including medical staff who have experienced this.

Japan, which developed a bath culture (hot springs, public baths, and even families share a bath at home), was also like that, but now, data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare) officially state that "It doesn't matter if you take a bath after vaccination." Also, when you search Yahoo in Japan, the same content appears overall in experts, news, and general public articles.

What about the US? Even if you search Google with the keywords vacuum, bath, and shower, there is no special mention.

Then why did the phrase "avoid bathing on the day of vaccination" come out?

1) In the past, it was unreasonable because there was no environment to take a warm bath at home, and public baths had to walk quite a bit.

2) Since public hygiene such as public baths was not good, there was a risk of bacterial infection at the inoculation site.

3) As part of concerns about systemic side effects (tiredness, fever, etc.) after vaccination, we tried to avoid changes in body temperature through bathing.

There are many speculations, but there is no scientifically meaningful content at this point, and in the meantime, there have been no side effects or empirical post-vaccination bathing problems.

In particular, there is no scientific basis for the "concern of bacterial infection at the inoculation site," which still exists as an expert opinion. We don't tell diabetics not to take a bath because we're concerned about infection after our daily fingertip blood sugar tests, insulin injections, other hip injections, and fluid therapy. Vaccination is a thinner needle than blood collection, and there is a lower risk of infection because it is inoculated in areas where infection does not occur easily. And the number one disinfection in case of infection is cleaning. Even if you yield and take a bath, showering will be more helpful in preventing infection.

Of course, taking a bath for too long can be too much. That's the same even when you haven't been vaccinated.

I caught a cold after getting vaccinated. The flu vaccination season is a time when colds often occur.

And some of the people who have been vaccinated catch a cold. This is not the effect of vaccination, but the effect of timing.

This is the conclusion.

"Can I take a bath after getting vaccinated?""

"Yes, you can." Don't rub the inoculation area too much. "You can avoid excessive activities and maintain your daily life."