IrishHealth.com – 25 January 2010
"Pass on the good news about regular smear testing" is the central message at the launch of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which started yesterday.
The campaign is being promoted by the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA).
“The good news is that well-organised and well-resourced screening programmes, such as CervicalCheck, have been proven to dramatically reduce the mortality rate of cervical cancer through early detection and prevention," the IFPA’s Medical Director, Dr Caitriona Henchion, said.
“This week we are calling on women to pass on the good news about regular smear testing, which can save lives by detecting any abnormalities at an early stage. Now that Ireland has a free cervical screening programme in place and plans for a vaccination programme are in the pipeline, we are in a position to almost eliminate cervical cancer in a generation.”
European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is taking place from 24-30 January. The prevention week is organised by the European Cervical Cancer Association (ECCA) and events will be taking place all over Europe to raise awareness about the disease.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage discussion about cervical cancer and to remind women to make an appointment for a free smear test when they receive their letter of invitation from CervicalCheck.
Women between 25 and 60 get free smear tests through CervicalCheck, The National Cervical Screening Programme.
The IFPA has highlighted a number of facts about cervical cancer screening including:
- Cervical cancer takes a long time to develop and often has no symptoms until an advanced stage. A smear test is a simple procedure and is the only way to ensure that any abnormal cells in the cervix are detected early and treated early, preventing the development of cervical cancer.
- Women between 25 and 60 get free smear tests through CervicalCheck, the National Cervical Screening Programme.