The technical name for this is neutropenia, from the word neutrophil, and it means that the immune system is depressed. Another term you may hear is immunocompromised. Without regular immune function, the body can't fight off germs and infections as it normally would. Watch closely for signs of fever, sore throat or cough, or chills and shaking. Keep an eye out for other signs of infection, such as an injury that gets red and pus-filled or doesn't heal. Another sign is diarrhea or loose stools for more than two days in a row. On the opposite extreme, an overly high white blood count is a sign the body is fighting an infection, although those fighting leukemia also can have elevated white counts.