Smear campaign aims to save lives

September is Cervical Screening Awareness Month. Pictured are (from left) cervical screening...
September is Cervical Screening Awareness Month. Pictured are (from left) cervical screening adviser for Otago Livia Hardy; Tasha Bambry, who had a scare with abnormal cells; and Cervical Screening Programme leader for the Southern District Health Board Linda Moir. PHOTO: ELEANOR AINGE ROY.
We don't like to talk about it and no-one likes to do it, but health professionals are urging New Zealand women to make cervical screening, or ''smears'', a priority this September.

Every year 160 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in New Zealand, and 50 go on to die from it.

Since 1990 the number of deaths from cervical cancer has dropped by 60%, but Linda Moir, Cervical Screening Programme leader for the Southern District Health Board, said she would like to see ''100%'' of New Zealand women having regular three-yearly smears.

''In the Southern District Health Board [region] 79.2% of women are getting regular smears, which is almost in line with the 80% of women being tested regularly across New Zealand,'' she said.

However, the rates of screening among Maori and Asian women remained ''in the low 50s'', Mrs Moir says, and the reasons for this were many and varied.

''There are complex reasons women don't go for smears,'' she said.

''Lack of education, language, cost, not having had one in their home countries, rurality, their job ... or sometimes they might have had a bad experience.''

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer and a regular smear every three years can reduce the risk of contracting it by up to 90%.

Tasha Bambry (33), was 19 when her GP suggested she have a smear. It was lucky she did, because Mrs Bambry's results came back reporting abnormal, high-risk cells.

''It was very scary, but I am a positive person, so I just said let's deal with this stage by stage.''

Mrs Bambry said. After further testing, Mrs Bambry had the affected cells removed and, after taking time to heal, she has had no further issues, although she is vigilant with annual smears.

''I think most 18 and 19-year-olds don't even think about smears but it really woke me and my friends up,'' she said.

Jane Piper, general manager of the Well Women and Family Trust, said a smear was a simple procedure that had the ''proven ability to save lives.''

New Zealand had one of the best screening programmes in the world, Mrs Moir said, but it still took the lead from Australia, where detection and treatment statistics are better, due to women being more ''engaged'' and having had access to vaccinations for longer.

September is Cervical Screening Awareness Month. Smears are free at sexual health clinics in Dunedin but incur a cost at most GPs.

eleanor.ainge.roy@thestar.co.nz 

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