Cervical cancer is a tregedy that can be prevented

DUPAGE COUNTY—January is Cervical Health Awareness Month and the DuPage County Health Department encourages women who lack health insurance to learn about Health Department programs that offer free screenings to detect cervical cancer and breast cancer.

Each year in the United States approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 4,000 die as a result. The true tragedy of the disease is that cervical cancer screening tests and vaccines exist that can prevent virtually every case.

The Health Department offers an important program to women who are underinsured or have no health insurance. The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), provided in part through grant funding received from the Illinois Department of Public Health, offers free screenings to detect breast cancer or cervical cancer among low-income women who are DuPage County residents. Eligible women who enroll in IBCCP may qualify for other disease prevention services.

Please visit the Health Department's website for information and enrollment forms: http://www.dupagehealth.org/womens-health.

Cervical cancer is caused by specific types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that almost everyone who is sexually active will have at some point. There are vaccines that block the types of HPV most often found with cervical disease, and screening tests that can identify women most at risk.

For more information on the DuPage County Health Department, follow us on Twitter @DuPageHD or become a fan on Facebook.

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