South Alabama women to GO Teal at Texas State game
GO Teal and White campaign raises awareness about cervical cancer during the month of January.
The South Alabama women’s basketball team will wear teal shoelaces at this Saturday’s game against Texas State as part of a statewide GO Teal and White campaign to raise awareness about cervical cancer.
The game starts at 5 p.m. at the Mitchell Center followed by the South Alabama men’s game against Little Rock at 7 p.m. Ticketholders to the women’s game will receive GO Teal and White wristbands and information about cervical cancer prevention.
The GO Teal and White campaign was created by USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute for the month of January, which is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. It calls on women to prevent cervical cancer by getting screened, following up on abnormal results and getting adolescents vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer.
“Alabama and Mississippi rank first for cervical cancer deaths, and we want to do more to prevent this dangerous cancer in our state and in our town,” said Jennifer Young Pierce, M.D., M.P.H., leader of Cancer Control and Prevention at the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
For the period 2012-2016, Alabama and Mississippi reported an age-adjusted cervical cancer death rate of 3.5 per 100,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The Mitchell Cancer Institute offers the following recommendations for cervical cancer prevention:
- Get screened. A Pap test is recommended every three to five years for women ages 21 to 64. An HPV (human papillomavirus) test is recommended starting at age 30.
- Follow upwith your physician on any abnormal screening results.
- Vaccinateadolescent boys and girls, ideally between the ages of 11 and 12, against HPV.
Joining the Mitchell Cancer Institute for the GO Teal and White campaign are the American Cancer Society, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lilies of the Valley, Alabama Public Health, the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition, the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation, Human Rights Watch and the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
