April was STD Awareness Month and it is better late than never to mention it here,just now.

To kick off the month of April, I am running a contest wherein 2 winners will each win a “Take The Test” HPV Awareness Bracelet.

Contest Mechanics:

1. Leave a comment to this post until 1159 PM (GMT+8) on May 16, 2008. 1 unique commenter = 1 contest entry which i will raffle from a “hat”, the old-fashioned way.
2. Winners (2) will be announced the next day (May 17, 2008) in a blog post. The winners will than have to drop me a line at gloria.g@b5media.com within 24 hours. Else, I will be drawing a new winner.
3. This contest is open to all readers of this blog, wherever you may be in the world.

It’s that easy. You guys have a say about anything cancer, cervical cancer, HPV, STD Awareness Month or simply that you want the “Take The Test” HPV Awareness Bracelet.

This contest is brought to us by The Digene HPV Test — the only test for high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) approved by the FDA. The HPV test is more sensitive than the Pap Smear alone in detecting cervical cancer.

Some facts I lifted from the HPV Test fact sheet (word document) sent to me by Anna Brew (thanks Anna!)

• The Digene HPV Test is based on proprietary Hybrid Capture® technology, which combines two innovations from the rapidly evolving field of life sciences – DNA/RNA probes and monoclonal antibodies – to allow rapid, standardized gene testing in virtually any lab setting.
• By combining the HPV and Pap tests, the ability to identify women at risk for cervical cancer is increased to virtually 100 percent.
• In 2003, the FDA approved the Digene HPV Test for cervical cancer screening, in conjunction with a Pap, in women age 30 and older.
• Use of HPV testing for routine screening is recognized in guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Women’s Association.
• The majority of insurance companies cover the HPV test for routine screening.

Highlighting is solely mine in the above. It has been emphasized so many times hoe screening and early detection of any cancer is critical in treatment and survival. The earlier a cancer is detected, the higher the rate of successful treatment and patient survival.

Cervical cancer is deadly. But it can be detected early if women will submit themselves to regular screening. Nothing should stop us if a screening method is available to us. Most importantly, don’t miss any appointment with your Ob-Gyne.

Your thoughts? Put them in the comment section below. Happy Monday, guys!

Post from: Blisstree

Digene HPV Test, STD Awareness Month, Cervical Cancer and A Blog Contest