The Health Department has launched a new national screening programme aimed at preventing cervical cancer through regular testing to detect early symptoms. Invitations will be sent out to women aged between 25 and 35 to be screened at local health centres.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne, said that around 33,000 women will be receiving invitations, and 11,000 invitations have already been sent out.

He said that a month long national awareness campaign has also been launched, in newspapers and other media.

Cervical screening is not a test for diagnosing cervical cancer. It is a test to check the health of the cervix, which is the lower part of the womb (often called the neck of the womb).

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common infection and most women get it at some time in their life. There are many types of HPV, and some types can cause abnormalities in the cervix. In some cases these abnormalities may, if left untreated, go on to develop into cervical cancer.

Not all abnormalities develop into cancer however, and in many cases HPV clears up by itself. This is why HPV testing is not undertaken below the age of 30.

HPV is easily transmitted during intimate sexual contact between partners. This includes intimate contact between men and women, and between partners of the same sex. The virus shows no symptoms. This means you or a partner could have had the virus for many months or years from a previous relationship, without knowing it.

Why are women offered cervical screening ? Cervical cancer can often be prevented. The signs that it may develop can be spotted early on so it can be stopped before it even gets started. Many of those who develop cervical cancer have not been screened regularly. Not going for cervical screening is one of the biggest risk factors for developing cervical cancer.

The programme makes sure that women aged between 25 and 35, will automatically receive an invitation. The National Screening Unit will get your name from national datasets. Personal information – such as name, contact details, age, gender, ID number, results of the screening tests, and the name of the doctor is protected by law under the Malta Data Protection Act. (This means it is important that the Screening Centre at Lascaris always has the correct name and address)

After the first cervical screen, women will receive invitations every three years. When they reach the age of 50, the invitation for screening will be sent every 5 years.

Permalink: New national cervical cancer screening programme launched