Avoiding infections

Cancer treatment can weaken the immune system for a while. It’s important that you and those around you are aware of how to avoid infection. To help with this –

1. Practice good personal hygiene, including washing your body regularly and laundering your clothes
2. Wash your hands using soap
3. Avoid seeing people who are unwell
4. Keep your mouth clean by regularly brushing your teeth
5. Ask somebody to clean your living area
6. Take your shoes off when entering your home
7. Avoid crowds of people or public places where you may be at risk of infection

You can also reduce the risk of food poisoning:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw food
2. Wash worktops that may have been touched by raw food
3. Wash dishcloths and tea towels regularly and make sure they have fully dried before using again
4. Use a separate chopping board for raw meat, and keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods
5. Store raw meat at the bottom of your fridge
6. Make sure food is cooked thoroughly
7. Keep your fridge temperature below 5°C
8. Avoid eating food past its ‘use-by’ date