WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Department of Health and the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program is reminding women of the importance of cervical cancer screenings. January is designated as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. 

The cancer is highly preventable because of the availability of screening tests and a vaccine to prevent HPV (human papillomavirus) infections, which cause 75 percent of cervical cancers in the U.S.

Nearly 4,000 women in America will die this year from cervical cancer. According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year. Early detection makes cervical cancer highly treatable and is associated with long survival and a good quality of life.