JANUARY IS CERVICAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Dr. Lorna Wilkerson, MD Lead Physician for OBGYN Each year, more than 11,000 women in the United States get cervical cancer. Black and Hispanic women are the hardest hit by this disease. Whittier Street Health Center wants you to know that there's a lot you can do to prevent cervical cancer. CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection. About 79 million Americans currently have HPV, but many don't know they are infected. Most women with healthy immune systems effectively eliminate HPV infections. Only a small fraction of women with persistent HPV infection will develop cervical abnormalities that lead to cancer. Fortunately, the HPV vaccine (shot) can prevent HPV and lower the risk of developing cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can often be prevented by de- tecting pre-cancer through regular screening pap tests (cervical pre-cancer can often be treated and the progression to cancer prevented). In honor of National Cervical Health Awareness Month, Whittier Street Health Center encourages: » Women to start getting regular pap tests at age 21. » Parents to make sure pre-teens get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. At Whittier Street Health Center, Dr. Lorna Wilkerson, Lead Physician for Ob-Gyn, notes: "Our providers offer the HPV vaccine to patients up to the age of 45, and we also have colposcopy services available at the Health Center as part of advanced cervical cancer screening. We encourage all women in the community to take advantage of these critical services and keep themselves safe from this deadly disease." WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER Comprehensive. Compassionate. Community. @ FREDERICA M. WILLIAMS BUILDING 1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 617-427-1000 www.wshc.org JANUARY IS CERVICAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Dr. Lorna Wilkerson, MD Lead Physician for OBGYN Each year, more than 11,000 women in the United States get cervical cancer. Black and Hispanic women are the hardest hit by this disease. Whittier Street Health Center wants you to know that there's a lot you can do to prevent cervical cancer. CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection. About 79 million Americans currently have HPV, but many don't know they are infected. Most women with healthy immune systems effectively eliminate HPV infections. Only a small fraction of women with persistent HPV infection will develop cervical abnormalities that lead to cancer. Fortunately, the HPV vaccine (shot) can prevent HPV and lower the risk of developing cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can often be prevented by de- tecting pre-cancer through regular screening pap tests (cervical pre-cancer can often be treated and the progression to cancer prevented). In honor of National Cervical Health Awareness Month, Whittier Street Health Center encourages: » Women to start getting regular pap tests at age 21. » Parents to make sure pre-teens get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. At Whittier Street Health Center, Dr. Lorna Wilkerson, Lead Physician for Ob-Gyn, notes: "Our providers offer the HPV vaccine to patients up to the age of 45, and we also have colposcopy services available at the Health Center as part of advanced cervical cancer screening. We encourage all women in the community to take advantage of these critical services and keep themselves safe from this deadly disease." WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER Comprehensive. Compassionate. Community. @ FREDERICA M. WILLIAMS BUILDING 1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 617-427-1000 www.wshc.org