The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says that every year, 34,000 women in the Americas die from cervical cancer, which is among the leading causes of cancer deaths in women from 23 countries in the region.
That's why they have launched a communication campaign designed to inform health providers and empower women and girls with the proper information on how they can prevent the disease.
The PAHO initiative is called "It's Time to End Cervical Cancer", and the campaign provides information in the form of posters and videos, and stories about the vaccine against the human papilloma-virus - or HPV for short, the cause of cervical cancer, and about the proper cancer screening methods. PAHO wants to encourage women to have regular examinations for the early detection of precancerous lesions.
PAHO's goal is to mobilize health providers, women and girls to seek preventative care for cervical cancer. This type of cancer can be prevented with the HPV vaccination, and with proper screening. The vaccine is recommended for girls ages 9 to 14, and it is available in 35 countries and territories of the region. The problem is that the vaccine has not reached 80% of the target population.
PAHO says that about 72,000 women in the region are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. An estimated 32 million women in the region are eligible for cervical cancer screen, and this coupled with treatment can save lives.
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