Cervical Cancer Vaccine

When was the last time you went for a Pap smear? Can’t remember? We’re not surprised.

In South Africa, less than 20 percent of women go for regular screenings. But know this: early detection can help prevent cervical cancer, which, according to the SA Journal of Gynaecological Oncology, is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and the most common cancer among black women in SA, affecting one in 34 (versus one in 93 for white women). What’s worse, more than half of women diagnosed with cervical cancer will die from it.

The good news is that these stats could soon be history. Two new vaccines can reputedly prevent infection by the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer.