Cervical Health Month 2018

Cervical Health Month 2018

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Cervical cancer is the most prevalent HPV-associated cancer among women in the United States. HPV, or the Human Papillomavirus, Cervical cancer is preventable.

The best way to prevent cervical cancer is with an HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine is recommended for boys and girls 11-12 years old. This is when the vaccine is most effective. If a child receives the HPV vaccine when they’re older, they may need to get three shots instead of two, and the vaccine decreases in effectiveness as a person ages. The vaccine is recommended through age 26 for females and age 21 for males not previously vaccinated.

If you are older, the best way to prevent cervical cancer is to receive a Pap test every three years. Cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be detected by Pap test. Even if you have been vaccinated, you should still get regular Pap tests because the vaccines do not prevent all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer.

One of the biggest risk factors for cervical cancer is smoking. Women who smoke are about two times more likely to get cervical cancer than non-smokers. Researchers believe that certain tobacco by-products damage the DNA of cervix cells and can contribute to cervical cancer development. Also, smoking lowers the body’s ability to fight infections, including those caused by HPV. Quitting smoking is another excellent way to protect yourself from cervical cancer. Suwannee River AHEC can help you quit tobacco. Click here to learn more about our tobacco cessation program.

As part of the National AHEC Organization HPV Immunization Project, Suwannee River AHEC provides training for health professionals to better recommend the HPV vaccine to parents. We are in the process of updating our free enduring program, “You Are the Key to HPV Cancer Prevention”. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and be notified when the updated presentation is available. Until then, you can contact us to request a live lunch and learn event with your staff or team here.  

All information from the American Cancer Society and the CDC.

By |2018-01-09T18:55:28-05:00January 9th, 2018|Categories: Conferences, Education, Tobacco Cessation|Comments Off on Cervical Health Month 2018

About the Author:

Brittany is the Marketing Coordinator at Suwannee River AHEC.
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