Cervical cancer remains a much-feared cancer among women. Until the advent of the Pap test, which screens for abnormal cells in the cervix, it was a common cause of death. It still affects more than 10,000 women every year in the United States, and more than 3,000 die.

Cervical cancer is caused by several different strains of a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). For the first time in history, cervical cancer can now be prevented! A new vaccine has been developed that prevents infection with two of the most common strains of HPV responsible for the development of cervical cancer.

The vaccine works most effectively among women who have not yet been infected with any strain of HPV. Any woman who may be sexually active at any time during the rest of her life would benefit from this vaccine. For that reason, it is recommended for young adolescent girls, from age 9 and up. Even if a woman has already been diagnosed with HPV, there is still value in her receiving the vaccine, however.

Please ask your doctor if this vaccine is right for you!

For more information on cervical cancer, please see the following sites:

• CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
• Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-cancer/DS00167
• National Cervical Cancer Coalition: http://www.nccc-online.org/
• Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cervicalcancer.html#overviews
• The National Cervical Cancer Coalition: http://www.nccc-online.org/
• National Institutes of Health: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cervicalcancer.html
• CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/
• The American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=8

For more specific information on the HPV vaccine, please visit the following sites:

• The CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm
• The National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/hpv-vaccines