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Senate Resolution

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A resolution recognizing January 2009 as "Cervical Cancer

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Awareness Month."

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     WHEREAS, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer

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diagnosed in women worldwide, and

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     WHEREAS, Florida ranks fourth in the nation for the

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highest numbers of new cervical cancer cases, and

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     WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society estimates that 770

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new cases of cervical cancer in Florida will be diagnosed

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during the year 2008, and

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     WHEREAS, the incidence of and mortality from cervical

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cancer has been greatly reduced due to the use of Pap tests,

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which can detect precancerous lesions that can be treated

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before a cancer develops, and

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     WHEREAS, invasive cervical cancers are diagnosed at the

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localized, most treatable and survivable stage in 53 percent of

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white women and 45 percent of African American women, and

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     WHEREAS, the primary cause of cervical cancer is infection

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with human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus commonly found in

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healthy women and only rarely resulting in cancer, and

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     WHEREAS, early detection, through annual Pap tests in

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compliance with the American Cancer Society's recommended

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guidelines, is the key to detecting cervical cancer at pre-

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cancerous stages, and

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     WHEREAS, the burden of cervical cancer can be significantly

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reduced due to the development of the first vaccine to prevent

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the most common HPV infections that cause cervical cancer, for

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use in females ages 9 to 26, and

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     WHEREAS, early cervical cancer detection through regular

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screening is the goal of the promotion of January as Cervical

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Cancer Awareness Month and of cervical cancer screening programs,

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such as the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early

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Detection program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and

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Prevention, NOW, THEREFORE,

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Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

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     That the Senate recognizes the month of January 2009 as

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"Cervical Cancer Awareness Month" in Florida and urges all women

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to understand the risks associated with cervical cancer, to take

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preventive steps to minimize those risks, and to undergo early

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detection procedures such as Pap tests and compliance with the

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American Cancer Society's recommended cervical cancer screening

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guidelines.