(MEDIA RELEASE):
The Northwest Georgia Regional Cancer Coalition has been recognized as an HPV Champion at the 4th annual Cervical Cancer Awareness Day for their dedication to promoting HPV prevention, education and increasing Georgia’s HPV vaccination rates.
The Georgia Cancer Control Consortium, HPV Cancer Free Georgia, and The Susan Jolley Awareness Program hosted the 4th annual virtual Cervical Cancer Awareness Day on Thursday, January 21st.
Representative Teri Anulewicz-District 42 joined 30 organizations who focus on cancer prevention and awareness efforts throughout Georgia, including the Georgia Cancer Control Consortium’s HPV Prevention and Education Work Group, to honor January as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The organizations united to celebrate cervical cancer awareness efforts made throughout the 2020 year.
Throughout their fifteen-county region, the Northwest Georgia Regional Cancer Coalition hosts education programming that focuses on cervical and breast cancer prevention, as well as HPV awareness and prevention. They also partner with healthcare agencies and community organizations to provide low cost or no cost cancer prevention screenings and vaccinations for patients across Northwest Georgia.
January is recognized Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Georgia, and women ages 21-74 across Georgia are encouraged to start the year by talking with their health care providers about scheduling a screening test.
Every year in the United States, approximately 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 4,000 women die of the disease. Latinas and African American women are at higher risk for developing and dying from cervical cancer.
92% of cervical cancers are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause 6 types of cancer. There is no cure for HPV – but there is a vaccine for preventing HPV and its related cancers.
The vaccine can be given to children starting as young as 9 and is recommended for men and women up to 26 years old. Other adults through 45 years of age can get the vaccine after speaking to their doctor to discuss if it’s right for their lifestyle.