A NEW GYNECOLOGIC CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Gynecologic cancers devastate women, families, and communities-more than 74,000 U.S. women received a diagnosis of reproductive cancer in 2004, and more than 27,000 died. But one bereaved family has channeled grief into advocacy and education.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health, is raising awareness of gynecologic cancers through a new national campaign, Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer. The impetus for the campaign is the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005, known as Johanna's Law and signed by President Bush in January 2007. Sheryl Silver proposed the legislation to honor her sister, Johanna Silver Gordon, who died of ovarian cancer in 2000 at age 58.
The congressionally mandated initiative has two main goals: to educate women and health care professionals on the signs and symptoms, screening tests, risk factors, and prevention strategies associated with gynecologic cancers and to convey the message that many may be curable if detected early and treated appropriately. The campaign was launched with a series of fact sheets available on the CDC's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/gynecologic.htm. Spanish-language versions are expected to be available sometime this year. Visit the Web site regularly for updates and new materials.
RECOMMENDED IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULES FOR CHILDREN: 2008 UPDATES
Nurses who work with infants, children, and adolescents know the value of immunization to protect against disease. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians have updated the recommended immunization schedules for children ages 0 to 18 years, as well as the catch-up immunization schedule. A summary of the changes to the previous schedule is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5701a8.htm?s_cid=mm5701a8_e. Schedules and various formats for printing and viewing are available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm.