CDC Offers Infection Prevention Guidelines for Patients With Cancer During COVID-19
Immunocompromised patients with cancer are three times more likely (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/28/coronavirus-cancer-deathrates/) to die from complications of the COVID-19 coronavirus. New resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide ideas for preventing infections like COVID-19 in patients with cancer.
CDC’s infection prevention resources define adverse events to treatment like neutropenia and sepsis, educate patients on infection prevention like vaccinations (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/protect-patients-with-cancer-during-flu-season-with-recommended-vaccinations), and list steps for stopping the spread of COVID-19.
They also link to three featured resources:
- 3 Steps Forward (https://www.preventcancerinfections.org/), a campaign to educate patients on infection prevention during chemotherapy treatments
- The Power Is in Our Hands (https://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare/the-power-is-in-our-hands/), an article by Angela Dunbar, manager of CDC’s Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients program
- Patient guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html) for protecting yourself and others during COVID-19
“I asked each member of my medical team what was the number one thing I should do to avoid getting sick during my treatment,” Dunbar said (https://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare/the-power-is-in-our-hands/). “Of course, they followed it with other advice, but cleaning hands often was the clear weapon of choice against the spread of germs. All along, the power was in my hands. It’s in your hands, too.”