HHS HealthBeat (January 02, 2008)

Untested

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A Pap test can spot signs of cervical cancer early enough to save a woman’s life. But a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says women from other nations especially are missing out.

Dr. Mona Saraiya looked at four years of data to estimate Pap testing rates. Her report is in the Journal of Women’s Health. Among immigrants, women from Asia, Southeast Asia and India were least likely to be tested, followed by women from South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Central America.

Dr. Saraiya says problems common to immigrants may be barriers to testing:

``They risk being isolated by language and culture, and many face financial barriers to routine preventive services, such as Pap tests.’’ (7 seconds)

Dr. Saraiya says help is available by contacting state health departments or calling 1-800-CDC INFO.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 02 2008