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Reproductive health
Ebony, Feb, 2006 by Anafidelia Tavares
As a Black physician, I was pleased to see Ebony do the important article, "Taking a Look at Reproductive Health" (Oct. 2005). Human papillo mavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer, is threatening our community. Black women are diagnosed with cervical cancer at twice the rate as Whites. Sadly, Black women have the highest cervical cancer mortality of any group in the United States.
Cervical cancer can be prevented if pre-cancerous cells are detected early. Also, early detection of cancer can mean early cure. Pap smears detect abnormal cells in the cervix, but cannot directly detect HPV infection. In fact, the Pap may fail to identify some women at risk. Thus, we are educating women about the new FDA approved test to detect HPV.
For women 30 and over, the combination of the Pap with HPV test is more than 99 percent effective at detecting women at risk for cancer. We need to educate all women about how to empower themselves and guard their reproductive health.
Anafidelia Tavares, MD, MPH
Director of Cervical Cancer Programs
The Balm in Gilead
New York, N.Y.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
