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DPH head: Pap smears should not be forgotten
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Posted on Jan 04 2009
While it is important women receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, a regular pap smear should also be a must for every female, the Public Health secretary said last week.
During the proclamation signing kicking off Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Sec. Joseph Kevin Villagomez reiterated the important role pap smears play in women’s health.
“It’s been a wonderful year with the HPV campaign, but I wanted to relay out to the community, while HPV is a great thing for the community, it is by no means the panacea to the problems of cervical cancer,” he said. “I think women should continue to rely on the pap smear as a very important tool and that, unfortunately, still a lot of our women in this community fail to see their doctor for their annual pap smear.”
Villagomez said he was proud to see male members of the governor’s cabinet at the proclamation signing, saying it shows the community approach needed to fight cervical cancer.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said there have been more than 70 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the CNMI in the last 10 years, meaning the rate in the Commonwealth is twice as high as Hawaii or the U.S. mainland. Rates among women of Chamorro or Carolinian descent is more than three times higher than Hawaii or the U.S. mainland, he added.
The Commonwealth Cancer Association president Alexander Sablan said most invasive cancers are found in women who have not received pap smears. Many women have the mistaken idea that once they have children they can stop getting a regular pap smears, which is not true, he said.
“They should continue to receive regular screenings,” he added.
