European cervical cancer prevention week
The ECCA is again working with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECCL), the ECCA’s institutional and individual members across Europe to hold the 4th European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week from 24 to 30 January, 2010. Cervical cancer is unique in that we already know exactly what we have to do to prevent almost every case as effective screening and vaccination programmes could virtually eliminate cervical cancer in Europe. However, while we know what to do, the majority of European countries in Europe still have not implemented these programmes.
This is not acceptable. We have the tools to STOP Cervical Cancer and they need to be made available to the women of Europe.
It is now Time To Move On:
- To implement organised cervical cancer screening programmes
- To implement cervical cancer vaccination programmes
- To implement public education programmes to ensure people access these programmes
Objectives of the Prevention Week
Nationally organised cervical cancer screening and vaccination programmes are enormous public health undertakings and their implementation requires strong political support.
The first objective of the 4th Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is therefore to educate the politicians and public health officials of Europe so they fully understand the benefits of organised cervical cancer prevention programmes and they move quickly to implement these programmes where they are not available.
Another serious problem is that where cervical cancer prevention services do exist, many women do not use them. The second objective of the 4th Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is therefore to raise awareness among the women of Europe so they know what they must do to avoid this disease and they use the services that are available.
