Special Envoy encourages HPV Screenings and raises awareness on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: January is recognized as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and is an opportunity to raise awareness and campaigns so that more women are urged to do their Pap smears.

Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, Rossana Briceno is encouraging Belizean women to do their HPV screenings and pap smears.

“Pap smears, yearly check-ups, and HPV screenings are key to catching cervical cancer early. Considering that early stages of cervical cancer don’t usually involve symptoms and can be hard to detect, routine screenings are extremely important.

The main goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2023). This is because, when cervical cancer is diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly, it increases a woman’s chance of survival,” the Special Envoy said.

In addition, while the HPV test checks cells for high-risk HPV types that can cause cervical cancer, the Pap test collects a sample of cervical cells that can be checked for changes caused by HPV including precancerous and cancerous lesions (National Cancer Institute, 2023).

The purpose of routine cervical cancer screening is to detect any cell abnormality before it turns into cancer, before symptoms appear, and before it can spread.

This may mean less treatment, less time to recover, and an increased chance of survival.

“Therefore, let’s encourage all women to prioritize their health and get screened for cervical cancer so that together we can eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern once and for all,” she urged.

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