It’s time for all women to say: “Cervical Cancer? Not On My Watch!” Only through routine screenings that cervical cancer can be detected early. Close to 100% of women diagnosed in a pre-cancer stage will survive this disease. However, an estimated 134 women in Georgia will still die this year from cervical cancer.
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and Cobb & Douglas Public Health, along with the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Cancer Screening & Treatment and the American Cancer Society, is asking everyone to help in the fight against cervical cancer and spread information about the importance of getting a Pap test.
Cervical cancer is a concern for all women. Even though white women are diagnosed more frequently with cervical cancer, Black and Latina women have a higher mortality rate due to later detection. Women who live in rural areas as well as those of low socio-economic status, also have a high mortality rate due to their lack of resources. Let’s use Cervical Cancer Awareness Month to bring light to this issue.
Early detection through routine screenings in the United States has reduced cervical cancer to less than one percent of cancer deaths since the introduction of the Pap test in 1943. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Breast & Cervical Cancer Program, commonly known as BreasTEST & MORE, and the American Cancer Society recommend women to start having Pap test at age 21.
Nationally, through the Breast and Cervical Treatment Act, medical treatment for eligible women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer is available through the Women’s Health Medicaid Program. Georgia is completely committed to doing its part in reducing risk of cervical cancer on its citizens. Through programs like the BreasTEST & MORE, eligible women can take advantage of more than 200 locations, both public health clinics and nonprofit organizations, where breast and cervical cancer screening are available.
To learn more about Cobb & Douglas Public Health, call (770) 514-2300 or visit: www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org. For more information about cervical cancer or the BreasTEST & MORE program in Georgia, please call your local American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.