A new online resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) answers some important questions about seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu for cancer patients and survivors.
While cancer patients and survivors may not be at any greater risk for infection with either 2009 H1N1 flu or seasonal flu, the CDC cautions that cancer patients and survivors are at higher risk for hospitalization and potentially life-threatening complications from all types of flu.
The CDC recommends that people who have cancer or a history of cancer should receive a seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu shot (not the nasal spray vaccine). The seasonal flu vaccine alone is not expected to protect against 2009 H1N1 flu. Household members and caregivers of cancer patients and survivors also should be vaccinated against both types of flu.
Find out more at www.cdc.gov/cancer/flu
