Preventing Cervical Cancer
By Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr.
Last year, Delaware became one of ten states to participate in the "End Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime" campaign. An initiative of the National Lieutenant Governors' Association, this program helps educate women and girls of the connection between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Over 99 percent of all cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV.
Since this program launched in October, I have been working to raise awareness of the connection between cervical cancer and HPV by placing over 13,000 "End Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime" brochures in doctors' offices, hospitals, health centers, and beauty salons across the state. These brochures outline important steps women can take to prevent HPV and possibly cervical cancer. The surest measure is abstinence, but practicing safe sex, getting annual screenings, and being vaccinated are also recommended.
Today, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) ranks cervical cancer as the 14th most common cancer in women, but it was once one of the most common cancers in the country. The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2007 there will be about 11,150 new cases of invasive cervical cancer nationwide. About 3,670 women will die from the disease.
According to Delaware's latest statistics, there were 185 newly-diagnosed cervical cancer cases and 65 deaths from the disease between 2000 and 2004. Delaware's five-year, age-adjusted mortality rate for cervical cancer ranks 45th in the nation. From 1999-2003, our state's mortality rate was 22.8 percent higher than the national average.
The simple fact is that we can end cervical cancer in Delaware through education, prevention, and the new vaccine against HPV. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a vaccine that protects women against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18-the strains of the virus that cause cervical cancer. This vaccine allows a girl's immune system to develop antibodies against these types of HPV.
Based on the success of the "End Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime" campaign, I have been working with the Delaware Cancer Consortium to give uninsured and under-insured girls in Delaware access to this new vaccine, if their parents choose to do so. This new initiative is based on the Center for Disease Control's recommendation that girls and young women between the ages of 9 and 26 be vaccinated, with a primary focus on girls ages 11 and 12. The first priority for the Delaware Cancer Consortium's initiative will be 11 and 12 year old girls, who will start the series of three vaccines in October and complete it before the end of the school year.
If your daughter is under the age of 19 years and you have a doctor, talk to him or her about the HPV vaccine. If you don't have a doctor or are without insurance, visit one of Delaware's public health clinics with your daughter to talk with a health care provider about the vaccine. Also, information is available through the Screening for Life program about free or reduced cost vaccinations. Call the Delaware Helpline at 1-800-464-HELP.
Join the fight to eliminate cervical cancer from our state. Together, we can make the difference for the women we love.
