Immunisations and chemotherapy

There is no risk at all to you from any child who has been vaccinated in the UK. This applies to all childhood vaccines, including polio, MMR, diptheria, whooping cough, tetanus or BCG (for tuberculosis).

Immunisation means gaining immunity against disease, usually from a vaccine. Vaccines stimulate your body's natural defences (immune system) to stop you from getting particular infections. If you are having chemotherapy your immune system is affected because you have fewer white blood cells circulating in your body. White blood cells are one of our main defences against infection.

You should not have immunisations with live vaccines while you are having chemotherapy or for at least 6 months afterwards. In the UK, these include rubella, mumps, measles (usually given together as MMR), BCG and yellow fever. You can have other vaccines, but they may not give you as much protection as usual until your immune system has fully recovered from your chemotherapy.

It is safe for you to be in contact with other people who've had live vaccines as injections. There can be problems with oral vaccines, but not many people in the UK have oral vaccines now. So there is usually no problem in being with any baby or child who has recently had any vaccination in the UK. You might need to make sure that you aren't in contact with anyone who has had oral polio, cholera or typhoid vaccination recently, particularly if you live abroad.

There is more information about vaccinations, and which you can have if you are having chemotherapy, in the travelling with cancer section of CancerHelp UK.