Infection and Graft-versus-Host Disease

Many drugs used to treat graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) weaken your immune system. This increases your risk of developing a serious infection.

To protect against a serious bacterial infection, your doctor may put you on antibiotics or give you antibiotics to keep on hand in case you develop a fever. You may also be asked to take medications to prevent viral and fungal infections.

Wash Your Hands

Your transplant team will give you guidelines to help prevent infection while your immune system is weak. The most important guideline is to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water:

• before eating or preparing food
• taking medications.

Be sure you wash your hands after:

• touching catheters or wounds
• changing diapers (if you are permitted to do so)
• touching plants or dirt (If you are permitted to do so)
• going to the restroom
• touching animals
• touching bodily fluids or items that might have come in contact with bodily fluids such as clothing, bedding, or toilets
• going outdoors or to a public place
• removing gloves
• collecting or depositing garbage (if you are permitted to do so)

Avoid Exposure to Sources of Infection

While you are taking immunosuppressive drugs, you'll want to avoid exposure to sources of infection. Your transplant team may recommend that you avoid:

• crowds, especially during cold and flu seasons
• people who have, or have been exposed to, infections
• gardening or digging in dirt
• smoking or being around people who smoke cigarettes, cigars, a pipe, or marijuana
• walking, wading, swimming, or playing in ponds or lakes
• construction sites and remodeling projects

Cleaning kitchen counters and bathrooms daily with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water can help eliminate sources of infection.

If you live in a rural area, you may need to treat your well water before drinking it.

Ask your Transplant Team about Pets

Rules vary among transplant centers about whether you can have pets at home while your immune system is suppressed. Your transplant team may ask you to avoid:

• adopting ill or juvenile pets
• animals that are sick
• reptiles such as lizards, snakes, turtles, and iguanas, and items they touch
• chicks and ducklings
• exotic pets such as monkeys and chinchillas
• cleaning litter boxes or cages, disposing of animal waste, or other activities that put you in touch with animal feces
• bird droppings
• cleaning fish tanks

Your doctor may also recommend

• keeping cat litter away from areas where food is served
• keeping cats indoors
• not adopting stray cats
• covering backyard sandboxes to prevent cats from using it as a litter box

Take Action!

Avoid potential sources of infection until you are no longer on drugs that suppress your immune system.

At the first sign of infection, contact your doctor so that you can get prompt treatment and avoid serious complications. Infections are often easier to treat if detected early.

Be sure your vaccinations are up to date and that people you live with, as well as those with whom you have frequent, contact are vaccinated too.

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