NEXT week will see the annual Cervical Cancer Prevention Week with local fundraiser Suzanne Fernando asking the people of North Ayrshire to get involved.

The 22nd-28th January 2018 is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, a European wide initiative which is led by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in the UK, which aims to raise awareness of cervical cancer, including information about symptoms, causes of the disease and the importance of prevention, with a focus on cervical screening (the smear test).

To mark the start of the week, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust will be relaunching its successful #SmearForSmear campaign for the second year running. The campaign encourages people to smear their lipstick, take a selfie and share it on social media along with messages about the importance of attending screening, encouraging donations to help fund Jo’s work and nominating their friends to do the same.

Suzanne will be joined by local politicians for an awareness event in South Beach Medical Practice during the week.

Currently in the UK almost 1 in 4 women do not attend cervical screening each year. Cervical cancer affects over 3,000 women annually and 1,000 will lose their lives.

Eight women are diagnosed every day with cervical cancer and three women die from the disease. It is also the most common cancer in women under 35.

Despite the fact that cervical cancer is largely preventable thanks to cervical screening and the HPV vaccination, over 22 per cent of women still do not attend their cervical screening, with uptake falling year on year.

A report commissioned by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in 2014 showed that if 85 per cent of women attended their screening, the incidence of cervical cancer could decrease by 14 per cent in just one year and deaths would fall by 27 per cent over five years.

Further information on Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust can be found at www. jostrust.org.uk