3C's Of Cervical Cancer Prevention

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, this is a reminder that we have a CHOICE, to take a CHANCE, and make a CHANGE to stop Cervical Cancer.

- Benda Kithaka

Cervical cancer has emerged as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Kenya. Sadly, 9 families lose their loved one (mother, sister, friend, cousin, wife, daughter or auntie) to the disease daily, largely because these women are detected at the later stages.

Our best defence against cervical cancer is prevention – through vaccination to prevent HPV infection, and regular screening which can identify very early pre-cancerous changes for effective treatment before cervical cancer develops.

We need to pay attention to the cervix. When caught early, cervical cancer is highly treatable, and majority of cervical cancers can be prevented altogether. So what do you need-to-know to help STOP Cervical Cancer?

CHANCE

Take a chance to STOP HPV in its tracks by getting tested Human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, is the leading risk factor for cervical cancer. Nearly all women will get HPV at some point in their lives, and there are over 100 different strains. Majority of HPV infections clear up on their own within a year or two (often without symptoms).