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H1N1 AND THE CANCER PATIENT

Cancer patients are at risk for developing complications from the H1N1 flu and other seasonal flu infections. In order to prevent complications from the flu, vaccination with the H1N1 and the seasonal flu shots is strongly recommended for people with cancer.  Like the annual seasonal flu shot, the new H1N1 vaccine does not contain live virus so it is safe for people with cancer.

If you are on chemotherapy or if your immune system is weakened, your response to the vaccine may be lower but it is still recommended that you get the flu shot as soon as possible.  It is safe to get both the H1N1 and seasonal flu shot at the same time (one shot in each arm) but if you have side-effects it will be hard to understand if a side effect is related to one shot or the other.  For this reason, it is recommended that you get the shots 2 to 3 weeks apart.

If you get flu-like symptoms or think you might be coming down with the flu please contact your family physician.  If you have flu-like symptoms, it is very important that you stay at home and reschedule your clinic appointment and/or treatment  appointments at RVH.  If you are not sure what to do, please call your clinic ahead of time to ask for advice.  If a family member is sick with flu-like symptoms, he/she should not come with you to the clinic or visit while you are in hospital.

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Frequently Asked Questions - H1N1 and the Cancer Patient