|
Message
from our Practice Nurse |
|
Free Cervical Cancer Vaccine
I would like to notify you of the availability of an important
preventative health initiative for women aged 18-26.
The Australian government is providing the cervical cancer vaccine
free for a limited time through general practice to all women and
girls aged 12-26 years through the National Immunisation Program.
While School aged girls will receive the vaccine at school, women
under 27 who have left school can receive it via their GP.
You may have read or seen on TV news coverage over the past year
about a vaccine to help prevent cancer of the cervix, it is now here
and available free if you are under 27 years of age.
Vaccination is a means of ‘primary prevention’ and a Pap screening
is an ‘early detection’ program. Vaccination combined with regular
Pap screening offers women the best prevention strategy against both
cervical cancer and pre-cancerous abnormalities. Everyday, over 40
Australian women undergo surgery to remove pre-cancerous lesions
from the cervix as detected on Pap Smear (AIWH 2005). The majority
of these women are under 40 years of age.
Join the fight against both cervical cancer and pre-cancers, by
receiving the vaccine whilst it is free. Please contact the surgery
for details of our vaccination sessions or to make an appointment.
Yours Sincerely,
Paula Williams
Practice Nurse
Reference: Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) 2005.
Cervical Screening in Australia 2002-2003.
|
|
|
