Newsroom | Community Health

By Dona Perry, MD, Strategic Medical Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

January is cervical cancer awareness month. The American Cancer Society estimates 14,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year and about 4,300 women will die from it.

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease if women have routine screenings, and if boys and girls receive the human papillomavirus vaccines. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it. HPV may cause multiple forms of cancer in men and women, including in the mouth, throat, genitals and cervix.

Rural Illinois populations, compared to populations in urban, suburban and small urban areas, experience some of the highest rates of HPV cancers. 

In Illinois, 60% of females and 55% of males 13 to 17 years old, have received the  recommended three-dose series of the HPV vaccine. Although the Illinois numbers are better than the U.S. rates, they fall short of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2030 goal of 80% vaccination.

Unlike the tetanus-diphtheria pertussis and meningococcal conjugate vaccines, the HPV vaccination is not required for adolescents entering Illinois schools although four leading national medical associations have recommended it since 2014. Parental concerns about the vaccine include its cost, safety and their  right to refuse it for their children. Others may have moral objections to a vaccination mandate for a sexually transmitted infection.

Cervical cancer is most treatable when it’s diagnosed early. But women who get routine Pap tests and follow up as needed can identify problems before cancer develops.

^{The above material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician. Physicians and other health care providers are encouraged to use their own best medical judgment based upon all available information and the condition of the patient in determining the best course of treatment.}