(TOPEKA, Kan.)—
In recognition of Cervical Health Awareness Month, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is encouraging women to schedule their annual well-woman checkups. According to a 2010 report, approximately 17 percent of Kansas women aged 18 and older did not have a Pap test within the past three years.
KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer Dr. Robert Moser says,"Pap tests decrease the risk of developing cervical cancer by detecting precancerous cells which, when found early, are highly treatable. Women should have their first screening Pap test at age 21, or within three years of becoming sexually active if younger."
Although cervical cancer was once the leading cancer killer of women, the number of cases has declined 75 percent in the past 50 years, largely because of the Pap test.
Even so, an estimated 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.
Most cervical cancer cases are caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted disease.
HPV infection can also cause a number of other health problems for both men and women..
Most health insurance policies cover the cost of vaccin
