STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JANUARY 2024 AS
CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
WHEREAS, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women globally, with an
estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020; and
WHEREAS, most cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with the human
papillomavirus, or HPV; and
WHEREAS, the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are in low-income
and middle-income countries, which reflects major inequities driven by lack of access to the
voluntary national HPV vaccination, cervical screening and treatment services and by social
and economic determinants; and
WHEREAS, women living with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, are 6 times more
likely to develop cervical cancer than women without HIV; and
WHEREAS, being voluntarily vaccinated at 9 to 14 years of age is a very effective way
to prevent HPV infection, cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers; and
WHEREAS, screening from 30 years of age, or from 25 years of age for women living
with HIV, can detect cervical disease, the treatment of which prevents cervical cancer; and
WHEREAS, for women of any age with symptoms or concerns, early detection followed
by prompt high-quality treatment can cure cervical cancer; and
WHEREAS, countries around the world are working to accelerate the elimination of
cervical cancer in the coming decades, with an agreed set of 3 targets to be met by 2030:
voluntary vaccination of 90% of girls by 15 years of age with the HPV vaccine; screening of
70% of women by 35 years of age and by 45 years of age with a high-quality test; and treatment
of 90% of women with cervical disease; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirty-first Legislature now
assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this
opportunity to designate January 2024 as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in order to express
our support for public awareness and access to information and services.
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