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More Mississippi women dying from cervical cancer than anywhere else in the country

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by
Shamira Muhammad
• Published on • Last modified on
A doctor holds a vial containing a vaccine.
A doctor holds a vial of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil in Chicago on Aug. 28, 2006. Research published Thursday, May 23, 2024, by the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests the HPV vaccine is preventing throat cancer in men, as well as cervical cancer in women, but fewer boys than girls are getting the shots in the United States.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
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Mississippi has the highest cervical cancer death rate in the nation and it’s affecting one group in particular. According to the State Department of Health, the cervical cancer death rate in Mississippi is about 30% higher among Black women compared to White women in the state.

Shamira Muhammad

More Mississippi women dying from cervical cancer than anywhere else in the country

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“That is who we target the most is our black females to encourage them to get the vaccine,” said Amy Gibbons is the director of the Mississippi Breast and Cervical Cancer Program with the State Department of Health. 

The HPV vaccine helps combat the human papillomavirus, or HPV. “It's a growth of cells that starts in the cervix,” Gibbons said. “HPV just plays a big role in causing most cervical cancers.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the HPV vaccine can be given to children as young as nine and recommends it for everyone up to the age 26 and people can get it up to the age 45. It prevents up to 90% of cancers caused by HPV. 

According to the State Department of Health, certain factors can cause women to be more at risk for cervical cancer. These include a history of sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, multiple sex partners, and unprotected sex. 

“Symptoms of cervical cancer can include abnormal vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, pain in the pelvis and the lower back,” Gibbons said. 

She says women should get screened for cervical cancer every year, through an HPV test and a pap smear. 

“Especially if you have a family history, if you have a mother or a grandmother, an aunt, somebody in your family that had a diagnosis of cervical cancer,” she said. “They should really be getting screened. It's very important to check.”