From smear tests to the new vaccine against the Human Papillomavirus, there’s plenty of options for reducing the number of women who get cervical cancer - yet 25,000 die every year in Europe every year from the disease.

The European Cervical Cancer Association is asking you to sign its petition, calling on European governments to take further action to share best practice and prevent those deaths.

Here’s their manifesto:

1. Work together to implement effective cervical cancer prevention programmes in compliance with the recommendations of the Council of the European Union and the European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Cervical Cancer Screening.

2. Support the establishment of public health education programmes to ensure that all women are aware of the importance of cervical cancer prevention and take full advantage of the services that are available to them.

3. Facilitate the exchange of best practice between the countries of Europe so that all can benefit from the world-class expertise that exists within Europe.

4. Support independent research to establish the most appropriate means to implement new screening methods and vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) to ensure the greatest reductions in cervical cancer across Europe.

5. Recognise and support the essential role played by charities, non-governmental organisations, patient support groups and volunteers in the ongoing reduction of cervical cancer in Europe.

Posted by Jess McCabe on 27 November 2007, at 9:04 PM