Useful Information

If you develop a fever or temperature 38 degrees or above, chills/shakes/sweats come to the emergency department IMMEDIATELY/ without delay.

If you have any concerns, please discuss with your oncologist.

How to handle body fluids?

After chemotherapy treatment, it is important to know how to safely manage the disposal of body fluids and minimise exposure to family and friends. 

It is safe to hug, kiss and have normal contact with family, friends and pets. It is safe to handle children and be around pregnant and breast feeding women.

Family members and friends should avoid contact with blood, urine, faeces or vomit of the person having chemotherapy and for the first three to seven days after chemotherapy.

If you are sexually active it is safest to use a condom or some other form of barrier contraception during and after chemotherapy for 48 hours.
The following simple guidelines look at how carers, family and friends can safely manage the disposal of body fluids and minimise the risk to other people, pets and the environment.

• Wear disposable gloves when cleaning up body fluids.
• Use disposable containers and cloths or paper towel and place in a separate bag and secure before discarding in household rubbish.
• Wash the area exposed to body fluids with warm, soapy water.
• Wash soiled clothing and linens separately in hot soapy water in the washing machine on a full cycle. Do not recycle this water.
• Wash hands well with warm, soapy water.

Vomit

• Vomit directly into the toilet if possible
• If using a disposable container always dispose of waste into the toilet, and rinse containers after use

Urine

• Use the toilet as normal. Flush once with the lid down after use
• Wash hands well with warm, soapy water.

Useful sites:
www.eviq.org.au
www.canceraustralia.gov.au
www.cancer.org.au
www.cancervic.org.au