CDC Blog Addresses How to Help Cancer Patients Prevent Infections During Cold, Flu Season
More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications each year,(1) with January and February marking peak flu season in the United States. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are at higher risk of health complications at this time of year due to their weakened immune system. In 2009 alone, approximately 330,000 patients with cancer in the U.S. were admitted to the hospital for serious infectious complications. Today, on CDCs Safe Healthcare blog, Alice Guh, MD, MPH, an infectious disease doctor and medical officer at the CDC, answers questions on how cancer patients can help better protect themselves during flu season.
More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications each year,(1) with January and February marking peak flu season in the United States. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are at higher risk of health complications at this time of year due to their weakened immune system.(2) In 2009 alone, approximately 330,000 patients with cancer in the U.S. were admitted to the hospital for serious infectious complications.(3)
Today, on CDCs Safe Healthcare blog, Alice Guh, MD, MPH, an infectious disease doctor and medical officer at the CDC, answers questions on how cancer patients can help better protect themselves during flu season.
The CDC also provides the following resources for healthcare providers, cancer patients and caregivers at PreventCancerInfections.org a website for patients and caregivers featuring an interactive risk assessment tool for neutropenia and downloadable educational materials.
 Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings guidelines for evidence-based infection prevention practices in outpatient oncology settings, where more than one million cancer patients receive chemotherapy and radiation therapy each year.
 Supporting educational resources available to download include health tip sheets on a variety of topics, posters, and fact sheets.
Join the conversation on CDCs Safe Healthcare blog: http://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare.
Â
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal Influenza. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm
2. Chemotherapy and You brochure. National Cancer Institute website. www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/chemotherapy-and-you/page7#SE8.
3. Anhang Price R et al. Cancer Hospitalizations for Adults. HCUP. 2009: Table 5.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
