Women in Government :: 2008 Report

2008 Report

2008 State Report on Cervical Cancer Prevention

Click here to listen to Women In Government’s Radio News Release of the State Report.

A dialogue on HPV and cervical cancer prevention has emerged in state legislatures throughout the country over the last year. While differences in opinion exist about how to best eradicate cervical cancer, the consensus remains that education, prevention, and collaborative efforts are the key to the elimination of this preventable but deadly disease.

Across the country, legislators and public health officials have been successful in turning recent challenges into opportunities by using the increased exposure of the issue to raise the debate to a more informed level. In addition, the past 12 months have seen the enactment of numerous bills to help fight cervical cancer as well as the implementation of cervical cancer prevention programs developed by statewide task forces and new efforts to increase access to HPV screening and vaccines.

As part of the Campaign’s mission to foster collaborative efforts to develop effective public policy solutions for cervical cancer prevention, we produced our first annual state report in 2005 to track states’ prevention efforts. We now proudly offer the fourth edition of this report, “Turning Challenges Into Opportunities: The ‘State’ of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America 2008.”

(click on each state to view individual state profiles)

To submit corrections for the 2008 edition, please contact the HPV & Cervical Cancer Policy Resource Center at 1-888-333-0164 or via email at resourcecenter@womeningovernment.org.

What Women Should Know

Cervical cancer is highly preventable – screening and vaccination are key.
Cervical cancer is almost always caused by a common virus – human papillomavirus (or "HPV").
Most women will have HPV, but few will develop cervical cancer.
Only HPV infections that persists can lead to cancer.
Every 2½ hours, a woman dies of cervical cancer in the United States, despite its being the only cancer with a single-known cause - HPV - which makes it virtually 100 percent preventable.
A Pap test looks for cell changes on the cervix that might lead to cancer.
Using an HPV test with a Pap test in women over 30 can better identify women at risk for cancer.
An HPV vaccine that prevents 70% of cervical cancers is now available.
Women should talk to their healthcare providers about the most advanced and appropriate technologies available for cervical cancer screening and immunization.

2008 Report

What Women Should Know

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