Fifty years ago cervical cancer was one of this country’s most common diseases, but development of the pap test and a vaccine have dramatically cut the occurrence and toll it takes. Now, however, experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the number of women taking preventive action.
As co-director of Global Initiatives at UVA’s school of nursing, Professor Emma Mitchell works on cervical cancer – a potentially fatal disease seen mostly in poor and middle income countries.
“Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable," she says. "It’s caused by high risk strains of the human papilloma virus, which we can vaccinate against. We can screen for it, and we can treat it – particularly the earlier it is caught.”
It’s not so common here in the U.S., but Mitchell warns that the nation still sees more than 13,000 cases a year and more than 4,000 deaths. She’s especially concerned now, because during the pandemic fewer women and girls are getting the vaccine that protects against human papilloma virus.
“A research in a nationally represented sample found that there was an 83% reduction in HPV vaccination since the time period before the state of emergency.”
And she notes a 68% reduction in cancer screenings. The federal government could improve that statistic by signing off on a new test already used in many industrialized countries. It allows women to collect their own tissue sample and send it off to the lab.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
