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January 22, 2007

National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, approximately 14,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and more than 3,900 women in the United States die from the disease every year.

Cervical cancer has been making headlines of late due to the release of Gardasil, a vaccine against the virus that leads to cervical cancer (human papillomavirus).

The vaccine is being heralded as a great step towards the eradication of cervical cancer, but remember that the vaccine only protects against 70% cervical cancer cases. It is still necessary for women to undergo yearly Pap smears to ensure she does not have the disease.

Early detection of cervical cancer is crucial. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, the Pap smear is "is the single most effective cancer screen in the history of medicine."

Share your cervical cancer stories by submitting a post to this blog. No registration is required and posts are completely anonymous.

On the web:
The National Cervical Cancer Coalition

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