Thankfully in South Dakota, it appears good practices are what's going around to avoid getting cervical cancer. January is Cervical Cancer Screening and Cervical Health Awareness Month.   We spoke with Dr. Luis Rojas, a gynecologic oncologist at the Avera Cancer Institute in Sioux Falls. He said South Dakotans should be proud of where we compare statistically on cervix cancer.

World wide there are about 30 cases per 100,000 women of child bearing age who get cervical cancer.
That number decreases significantly when we narrow it to the United States: 8 cases per 100,000.
It's even better in South Dakota. Only 4 in 100,000 women get cervical cancer.

Dr. Luis Rojas says, "It speaks a lot about our people's behavior and sexual habits, sexual promiscuity, and screening practices for cervix cancer."

Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV. A sexually transmitted disease, that if caught early through screenings like pap smears, can be treatable. There is also a vaccine to guard against it.

Last year South Dakota allocated 9 million dollars to target 44, 000 girls ages 11 to 18 in a first of it's kind statewide vaccination program here.  Officials say 2/3 of those girls took advantage of the free shots.

Dr. Rojas is a strong backer of the HPV vaccine because it protects against four strains of the virus, two of which account for 70% of cervical cancer cases.  South Dakota is one of 11 states to adopt legislation regarding the HPV vaccine.

For more information go to www.avera.org