U.S. and European Advocacy Groups Launch United, Global Campaign to Prevent Cervi...( Coalition Promotes the Pearl of Wisdo...),Health

Coalition Promotes the Pearl of Wisdom(TM) as Worldwide Symbol for Cervical Cancer Prevention

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in the United States, a coalition of U.S. women's health advocacy groups, policymakers, healthcare providers and others is partnering with their European counterparts in a united, global awareness campaign to prevent cervical cancer worldwide. The Pearl of Wisdom Campaign to Prevent Cervical Cancer (www.PearlofWisdom.us) will raise awareness of cervical cancer, encourage women to take advantage of the means that are now available to prevent it, and work to make sure that these methods are accessible to girls and women around the globe - particularly to the underserved populations that have much higher rates of cervical cancer. The campaign will promote the Pearl of Wisdom as the global symbol for cervical cancer prevention and will help all participating groups unite behind a core set of messages.

"Cervical cancer devastates too many women's lives around the world, with nearly 300,000 women dying from this disease each year," said Dr. Anne Szarewski, interim president of the Brussels, Belgium-based European Cervical Cancer Association (ECCA), which initiated the campaign. "However, research has established that cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with a very common virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV), whose presence is seen in 99.7% of all cervical cancers. So, almost all cervical cancers are now preventable through organized screening with Pap tests, HPV tests and immunization programs with HPV vaccines."

Participating groups in the U.S. include the American Medical Women's Association, the American Social Health Association, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, the Balm In Gilead, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Global Summit of W
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