The ISIS Project
Press
What Sisters Need to Know About Cervical Cancer: 100 Percent Preventable
By Joseph Young
WI Staff Writer
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The strong, outgoing 25-year-old woman with her full-figured body felt small inside. Devastated. Alone, she walked in a fog and, suddenly, her burst of optimism seemed clear: No woman has to be diagnosed with cervical cancer. No woman has to die of cervical cancer.
This was six years ago, and the cervical cancer survivor, Tamika Felder, now 31, is an activist for the prevention of this deadly disease.
Last week, Felder, along with 20 African American female clinicians, came together at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Northwest to support the ISIS Project, a campaign by the Black healthcare nonprofit organization, Balm In Gilead, to educate Black women about the prevention of cervical cancer. They also work to encourage women to take the human papillomavirus (HPV) test and become knowledgeable about the HPV vaccine.
The vaccine, known as Gardasil, is a product of Merck & Co., Inc., which also is a sponsor of the ISIS Project, along with the Digene Corporation, makers of a HPV test.
The diagnosis changed Felder, perhaps forever. Cervical cancer took away her ability to procreate. "I long for children," says Felder who was explicit about her situation. "It's a hard pill to swallow."
She loss her cervix and connected tissue, uterus and the top one-third of her vagina. "I was 25, working as a TV producer," says Felder, who loss her father to colon cancer before she reached her 17th birthday. "I was devastated."
She began radiation treatment and the chemotherapy, each day for eight weeks. "They take your body and burn it from the inside out to heal you," says Felder.
The illness is common. Using the American Cancer Society's estimates from 2004, the ISIS Project reports that about 10,500 women in the U.S. will develop cervical cancer yearly and about 3,900 will die from it.
The national incidence rate for the disease is 8.8 per 100,000 females. Washington's rate is 13.5 per 100,000. The rate of cervical cancer among Black women is 50 percent higher than that of White women, and Black women have the highest cervical cancer death rate of any group of women in the U.S., according to the ISIS Project.
Felder believes that the situation doesn't have to be this way, if women get cervical cancer screening, which includes the Pap smear and HPV tests.
Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus. Through HPV and Pap tests, the cancer can be prevented before it starts or early enough to encourage recovery.
A Pap test looks for cell changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer. When used together, the Pap and HPV tests can better identify women needing early intervention to prevent cervical cancer.
An HPV vaccine is now on the market. In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil for women and girls, making it the first vaccine marketed specifically to prevent cancer.
According to Merck's website, more than 12,000 women participated in the trial study in several nations, including Brazil, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Merck's Web site also said that there were no negative side effects. "There were no discontinuations due to serious vaccine related adverse events," the site says. "Adverse events were higher among those who receive Gardasil compared with placebo recipients. The most common vaccine related adverse event reported was local discomfort at the injection site."
HPV can be spread through vaginal sex, anal sex and, possibly, oral sex. Any skin-to-skin contact in the genital area can spread the virus. There is no cure for the virus once it has been contracted.
Currently, there is no FDA-approved HPV test for men. HPV infection has been linked to cancer of the penis and anus, both of which are very rare in men. Twenty million American men and women are infected with HPV, according to Merck's Web site.
Last week, D.C. Council members David A. Catania (I-At-Large) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced a bill that would require adding the HPV vaccine to the list of shots that girls would have to get before enrolling in the sixth grade.
Catania, who is the chairman of the D.C. Committee on Health, says that the legislation is based on the Center for Disease Control's recommendation that the vaccine be administered to pre-pubescent girls that have yet to become sexually active.
Taking the recommendation literally, Dr. Estelle H. Whitney, national medical spokesperson for Balm In Gilead, says she injected her daughters, Imani, 13, and Jennifer, 19, with the vaccine.
"By protecting our children now, we will be saving lives later," says Catania.
Important facts about HPV and Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is highly preventable through regular screening including the Pap test.
Cervical cancer is almost always caused by a common virus - human papillomavirus (HPV). Eight out of 10 women will get HPV at some point in their lives.
Most women will have HPV at some point in their lives, but few will develop cervical cancer. In fact, most women who get HPV will get rid of the virus through their body's normal healing process.
Only HPV infections that persist for several years can put a woman at risk for cervical cancer.
Screening for cervical cancer can be done by your doctor using just a Pap test if you're younger than 30 or a Pap test and HPV test if you're 30 and older.
A Pap test looks for cell changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer.
When used together, the Pap and HPV test can better identify women needing early intervention to prevent cervical cancer.
A new weapon against cervical cancer called the HPV vaccine is now on the market and protects against most cervical cancers.
The Pap test or HPV test will still be needed to keep healthy as the HPV vaccine can only protect against 70 percent of cervical cancers.
Both vaccination and screening are key weapons in the fight against cervical cancer.
Women should ask their healthcare providers for the test that best meets their health care needs.
Learn more about HPV and cervical cancer at:
The Balm in Gilead's The ISIS Project: 1-888-225-6243, infor@theisisproject.org or http://www.theisisproject.org/
The American Cancer Society: 1-800-227-2345 or http://www.cancer.org/
The American Social Health Association: 1-877-478-5868 or http://www.ashastd.org/
The Association of Reproduction Health Professionals: 1-202-466-3825 or www.arhp.org
Wave of Support for HPV Vaccination of Girls
D.C., Md., Va. Proposals Part of National Effort to Prevent Cervical Cancer
By Susan Levine and Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page B01
The District, Virginia and Maryland are at the forefront of a growing nationwide effort to encourage or even require adolescent girls to receive the new cervical cancer vaccine -- the first vaccine ever developed specifically to prevent cancer.
In the seven months since the federal government approved the vaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, half a dozen states have introduced legislation that would mandate immunization of students by the middle school grades. Several others are making doses, which cost $360 for the full regimen of three injections over six months, available at no charge.
"It's red hot, coming fast," said former Maryland senator Gloria G. Lawlah, immediate past chairwoman of a national group of female state lawmakers who have pushed legislatures to increase public awareness of and testing for cervical cancer.
This week, the District became the latest jurisdiction to propose adding the vaccine to the list of shots girls would have to get before enrolling in the sixth grade. Yesterday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) voiced his support, saying hearings to flesh out the program should satisfy parental concerns.
At least two similar bills were introduced last week in the Virginia General Assembly. And in Maryland, state Sen. Delores G. Kelley (D-Baltimore County) has prepared a bill that requires middle school vaccinations. Kelley said she expects strong support from teachers and female lawmakers.
"This is an issue that is cross-generational," she said.
HPV vaccination is being promoted across the country, in such states as California, South Dakota and New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, officials called the vaccine a major scientific breakthrough when they began offering it without charge to females 11 to 18.
"For goodness sake, how long in our lifetime have we prayed: If we can only have a vaccine against cancer?" said Kentucky state Rep. Kathy Stein (D), sponsor of a mandatory immunization bill filed there last week.
The attempts to require vaccination have been criticized by groups concerned that it might encourage promiscuity or infringe on parents' authority over their daughters' health care. Others oppose such efforts because of worries about vaccines in general.
But many organizations support the proposals, most of which would allow exemptions for religious, medical or philosophical reasons.
"We are dealing with a public health crisis," Pernessa C. Seele, head of Balm in Gilead, said yesterday. The group addresses health issues affecting African Americans and is teaming up with African American medical professionals to combat cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer affects nearly 10,000 women in the United States every year, killing more than a third of them. Minority and low-income women are most affected; African Americans die at a rate more than double that of white women.
The virus at the root of the suffering is rife throughout the population, with 20 million Americans ages 15 to 49 infected. HPV is transmitted through sexual activity or other intimate contact, although most people's bodies fight it off without their even knowing they had the virus. There is no treatment.
Cervical cancer results when certain high-risk types of the virus trigger abnormal cell growth. The vaccine, Gardasil, was tested on more than 11,000 girls and women worldwide. It proved to be 100 percent effective against two of the most prevalent high-risk types, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No side effects were seen in the trials, other than a slight soreness at the site of the injection. Given the vaccine's newness, the length of protection the shot offers is unclear.
In June, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that the HPV vaccine be administered routinely to girls 11 and 12 and to women as old as 26. It is most effective when given before a first sexual contact.
Joseph Zanga, professor of pediatrics at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine, favors the vaccine for girls who plan to be sexually active. But "mandating is the wrong approach to this issue," he said.
"If a kid with measles is sitting in a classroom, he or she is going to infect many other classmates. A kid with HPV infects no one other than one she might have sex with," he said. "We're not protecting the public health in the same way that we protect public health when we require measles vaccine."
"It's red hot, coming fast," said former Maryland senator Gloria G. Lawlah, immediate past chairwoman of a national group of female state lawmakers who have pushed legislatures to increase public awareness of and testing for cervical cancer.
This week, the District became the latest jurisdiction to propose adding the vaccine to the list of shots girls would have to get before enrolling in the sixth grade. Yesterday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) voiced his support, saying hearings to flesh out the program should satisfy parental concerns.
At least two similar bills were introduced last week in the Virginia General Assembly. And in Maryland, state Sen. Delores G. Kelley (D-Baltimore County) has prepared a bill that requires middle school vaccinations. Kelley said she expects strong support from teachers and female lawmakers.
"This is an issue that is cross-generational," she said.
HPV vaccination is being promoted across the country, in such states as California, South Dakota and New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, officials called the vaccine a major scientific breakthrough when they began offering it without charge to females 11 to 18.
"For goodness sake, how long in our lifetime have we prayed: If we can only have a vaccine against cancer?" said Kentucky state Rep. Kathy Stein (D), sponsor of a mandatory immunization bill filed there last week.
The attempts to require vaccination have been criticized by groups concerned that it might encourage promiscuity or infringe on parents' authority over their daughters' health care. Others oppose such efforts because of worries about vaccines in general.
But many organizations support the proposals, most of which would allow exemptions for religious, medical or philosophical reasons.
"We are dealing with a public health crisis," Pernessa C. Seele, head of Balm in Gilead, said yesterday. The group addresses health issues affecting African Americans and is teaming up with African American medical professionals to combat cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer affects nearly 10,000 women in the United States every year, killing more than a third of them. Minority and low-income women are most affected; African Americans die at a rate more than double that of white women.
Virginia Del. Phillip A. Hamilton (R-Newport News), sponsor of a bill that would mandate HPV inoculation for middle school children, disagrees.
"This is not a prevention for a sexually transmitted disease. This is a prevention for cancer," he said. "And if a vaccine can eliminate even one case of that, I think it's a worthwhile initiative."HPV vaccination can be administered along with other inoculations and does not need to initiate a major parent-child discussion about sex, he said.
The Michigan doctor who led the HPV panel that prepared the federal recommendation made the same point.
"The reality is, many children get shots and they don't ask what they're for," said Janet Gilsdorf, director of pediatric infectious diseases and immunology at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
She supports making vaccination as universal as possible. "No question that school mandates increase vaccine uptake," she said.
SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, Balm in Gilead
Staff writers Lisa Rein, Michael E. Ruane and Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.
Hold back knee-jerk reactions on HPV vaccine
By Adrienne Washington
The Washington Post
January 12, 2007
Everyone needs to take a deep breath, calm down and take a closer look at the "cutting edge" proposal to vaccinate young girls in the District against the sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer.
Unfortunately, critics and conspiracy theorists already are waving the black nationalist flag or raising the conservative mantra of morality. But these knee-jerk reactions fail to look at this potentially lifesaving initiative for what it really is -- a public-health issue, not a sexual or racial issue.
Earlier this week, D.C. Council member David A. Catania introduced legislation that would require girls younger than 13 to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). The preteens would need proof of inoculation or a parental waiver before being allowed to enter the sixth grade in public schools.
What? Force young girls to be vaccinated against a virus they can contract only through sexual contact? What? A white council member suggesting that inner city girls, mostly black and brown, be subjected to a sinister plot reminiscent of forced sterilization or mandatory birth control? Heaven forbid, shades of the infamous Tuskegee experiment on unsuspecting black men and syphilis abound.
Hold up, wait a minute, let's put some facts in it.
First, this is a proposal, not a done deal. Mr. Catania, at-large independent, plans to hold hearings in the council's committee on health, which hopefully will generate informative debate.
Second, these shots are not part of a medical experiment in its trial stages aimed at one set of females. This locally discovered vaccine, tested on 11,000 women worldwide and in use in other countries for several years, is the first of its kind known to prevent any form of cancer. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatricians.
Geared for girls entering puberty, advertisements for the HPV vaccine -- which is effective against one of the deadliest strains of the HPV virus, which causes 70 percent of cervical cancers -- can be seen on television and in teen and women's magazines, and is available now through private physicians.
Health care professionals and researchers agree that administering the vaccine around 10 and 11 years of age -- which Mr. Catania said coincides with the sixth grade -- would be most beneficial because it is assumed that girls of that age are not sexually active and have not yet been exposed to HPV.
Third, parents can "opt out" of having their daughters vaccinated. What parents do need, however, is more information about the preventative health care of their children, and maybe even of their own bodies, which is the added benefit of this public-health initiative.
Mr. Catania, whose own mother died at 43 of ovarian cancer, also seeks to capitalize on federal dollars being made available for the vaccine, which requires three shots at a cost of $360.
Speaking to a number of black women -- physicians and faith-based advocates -- who met here this week with the Balm of Gilead public-health awareness organization, not a single one objected to vaccinating young girls, especially young black girls. In fact, most were supportive, noting the increased rate of cervical cancer in black women, particularly in the District.
By Adrienne Washington
January 12, 2007
In conjunction with Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the Balm of Gilead kicked off its public-service campaign in Georgetown yesterday. Twenty faith-based black women and physicians are participating in the "Spread the Word, Save a Sister" project aimed at encouraging black women to get tested and get the vaccine if they are younger than 26.
Perneesa Seele, founder and chief executive of the Richmond-based organization, called the Catania measure "on the cutting edge of a new public paradigm toward public health." She hopes the debate "does not get bogged down in the controversy and the conspiracy theorizing."
"I'd hate for us, 50 years from now, to be asking the question, 'Why did all the white kids get the vaccine and the black ones didn't?' " she said. "Let's look at the facts."
Although the vaccine was developed for all women, Ms. Seele said she is pleased that "no black child should grow up to get cervical cancer." Only one logistical objection was offered -- that of Dr. Renee Jenkins, head of pediatrics at Howard University Hospital and the president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which voted last summer to recommend the HPV vaccination.
Dr. Jenkins participated in a webcast panel discussion about the vaccine along with representatives of the CDC at the meeting sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation here on Wednesday. She said it is their consensus to take "a wait-and-see attitude" on mandatory, school-required testing until more information can be obtained about supply levels of the vaccine and on school staffs' ability "to track yet another series of vaccines." She said it is important to inform parents before a mandatory measure.
Mr. Catania countered that nothing in his proposed legislation is mandatory, aside from parents and physicians being required to have a conversation with young girls about the risks of the disease and the benefits of the vaccine.
Mr. Catania should be commended, not condemned, for this proposal, which could save lives and heighten awareness to the health risks of women.
"That's all I wanted was the conversation," he said.
Yes, but let's not allow fear, passion or ignorance sidetrack the necessary debate.
01/10/2007 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM
00:16:06 TZ; Vaccine : Some lawmakers want to make it mandatory that teenage girls are vaccinated against a cervical cancer-causing STD called HPV. V; Girls being vaccinated. I; Keyanna Reynolds, Parent,Talks about vaccination. V; Meeting of Black Women of Faith and MedicineCoalition. I; Dr. Deborah Smith, Women's Health Consultant, Talks about cervical cancer. I; Sifa Berry, Parent, Thinks the vaccination should be a parental choice. I; Chiquita Plummer, Parent, Wants to know how the vaccination would affect her daughter. I; Dr. Gregg Pane, DC Health Dept. Director, Talks about vaccination. Karen Gray Houston reporting.00:18:24
We Can Prevent Cervical Cancer
Saturday, January 13, 2007
As an African American woman, the daughter of a cervical cancer survivor and president of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, I strongly disagree with columnist Courtland Milloy's uninformed and misguided assertions about a mandatory HPV vaccine program in the District [Metro, Jan. 10].
Cervical cancer kills more than a quarter million women worldwide each year. Most cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine that can inoculate women against the most virulent strains of HPV. Similar to the vaccines for polio, smallpox and measles, the HPV vaccine gives us the opportunity to eradicate cervical cancer in one generation.
Mr. Milloy implied that the program is racist because most of D.C.'s schoolchildren are African American. He should know that women of color -- Hispanic and African American -- are disproportionately affected by this disease. They are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than white women to develop cervical cancer. And they are more likely to die from it. My own mother was stricken by cervical cancer when she was just 32.
I consider it racist for women of color to die in higher rates from a preventable disease. I applaud the D.C. Council's efforts to introduce the country's first mandatory vaccine program, making the District a leader in cervical cancer prevention and women's health.
President and CEO
Planned Parenthood
of Metropolitan Washington
The Balm In Gilead Launches The ISIS Project- A Cervical Cancer Initiative
New York, NY -- March 30, 2005
Today, The Balm In Gilead, Inc. kicked off the ISIS Project, a national health initiative to increase public awareness about cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer. The mission of the ISIS Project is to educate and empower Black women about cervical cancer and HPV, and provide them with information on the need for regular screening to ensure early diagnosis and treatment. The Balm In Gilead believes that informing women about cervical cancer is the necessary first step in reversing the escalation of this deadly illness among Black women.
On this day, The Balm In Gilead also launched its historical partnership with the women's missionary societies of three historical black church denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, National Women Missionary Society; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Women's Home and Overseas Missionary Society; and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Women's Missionary Council. Each will establish a national health office that will support this initiative as well as educate women on a multitude of health issues.
The ISIS Project (Intimate Session for Informed Sexuality) is aptly named-Isis was revered by the ancient Egyptians as the goddess of medicine and wisdom who lived among the people.
The official launch of The Balm In Gilead's ISIS Project took place at a press conference held at the New York Academy of Sciences.
The Balm In Gilead will immediately conduct a series of educational forums in five U.S. cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit. The forums will be presented by Dr. Janet Mitchell, MD, author and pioneer in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn); and Reverend Dr. Susan Newman, hailed by Ebony magazine as one of the Top Black Women Preachers in America and the author of Oh God! A Black Woman's Guide to Sex and Spirituality (Random House 2002 .) The forums will be hosted by Pernessa Seele, founder and CEO of the Balm In Gilead. "These educational forums are a great opportunity to discuss with women the importance of cervical cancer screening and the availability of new options, such as HPV testing," said Dr. Mitchell. "We will encourage all women to take charge of their health by talking to their doctors about the screening options that best fits their needs."
The uniqueness of these forums will be the coming together of a Black preacher and doctor to have a dialog with Black women about both their spiritual and physical health. "The vision of this initiative to create optimal health and wellness throughout Black women's entire lives, taking into account the full spectrum of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual issues" stated Pernessa Seele, Founder/CEO of the Balm In Gilead.
"For the past 16 years, The Balm In Gilead has been a pioneer in building the capacity of African American faith communities to address HIV/AIDS. Today, marks a new paradigm in our organization", states Erline Belton, Chair of the Board of Directors. "Utilizing all of our lessons learned over these years of addressing HIV/AIDS within Black communities, The Balm In Gilead is expanding its services to address yet another deadly disease among Black women which is also 100% preventable-cervical cancer".
Cervical cancer is a preventable disease, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), that is devastating black women. African American women have significantly higher incidence rates than white women; in addition, African American women are more than twice as likely to die from cervical cancer as white women. Cervical cancer rates have decreased significantly over the last 60 years, due to widespread screening using the Pap smear; however, women are still dying. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 10,300 women will be diagnosed with and approximately 3,700 women will die of cervical cancer this year. Through the launch of the ISIS project, The Balm In Gilead is dedicated to educating women about this disease and informing women of the need for regular
The Balm In Gilead is a not-for-profit organization with an international mission to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by building the capacity of faith communities to provide education, services and support for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The Balm In Gilead has earned worldwide recognition as the leading organization in the United States dedicated to empowering and mobilizing churches to address the HIV/AIDS in the Black community. Since its founding in 1989, The Balm In Gilead has helped over 15,000 churches and organizations throughout the United States, Africa and the Caribbean provide seriously needed health education and services to their congregations and communities in order to halt the AIDS pandemic.
Support for the ISIS Project is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Digene Corporation.