Frankly my dear you should give a damn

You may have never heard of it but this week is National Cervical Cancer Awareness week.

If you are over the age of 25 in England or 20 in Wales and Scotland you should be sent a letter by your local health authority asking you to come for a smear test. Here's a big hint. Go and do it.

The charity Jo's Trust are urging women this January to go and get a smear test.

What is Cervical Cancer?
Cervical Cancer develops from the Human papilloma virus. (HPV) is a large family of viruses that affect the skin and mucous membranes that line the mouth and genital area. It is a very common virus with over 100 different strains. Seventy-five percent of the world's population will come into contact with HPV at some time during their life.

Anyone who is sexually active can be infected with HPV and usually the body's immune system will usually clear it up. Since there are no symptoms for HPV most people don't even know they have contracted the virus.

The majority of women who have the virus do not develop cervical cancer. However, a small number of women (about 3% of women in the UK) do develop abnormal cells that may become cancerous. This is why cervical screening and HPV vaccination is important in helping to prevent cancer. (Jo's Trust, 2010)

Why should I care?
A smear test sounds gross and uncomfortable but a little embarrassment now could save your life in the future.

I'm under 25 and live in England?
At the moment you will not be able to have a smear test, however there are various women's groups lobbying to lower the age of cervical cancer screening in the UK. Women around the age of 20-25 who have died from cervical cancer have been in the headlines recently and there is potential to get the age of screening lowered in England. The BBC have been reporting on the issue which hit the media spotlight after the death of Jade Goody aged 27 from Cervical Cancer.

What can I do?
If you can't get a test (and the majority of our undergraduates here in Sheffield cannot) then encourage mothers, aunts, older sisters, sister in law, friends, colleagues and housemates to go for their check. A shockingly large proportion of those who are eligible for screening do not get checked.

I have only had one sexual partner and haven't slept around?
Only having one sexual partner is enough to put you at risk of developing Cervical Cancer. There is an urban myth that you can only catch Cervical Cancer from sleeping around, this is wrong and puts lives at risk.

I am over 25 but haven't been offered a test?
Book an appointment with your local GP and explain that you would like to be tested for Cervical Cancer. They will be able to track down why you have not been contacted and can arrange an appointment for you.

Happy January!

Want to be the next Women's Officer..?

Want to be the next Women's Officer or Welfare, International, Education, Finance, President, Activities or Sports Officer?

Nominations open on February 1st and close on the 12th, so there's as good an excuse as any to use exam procrastination to think up your manifesto policies. If you think you might, just maybe, perhaps a little bit, even a teeny bit want to run but aren't completely sure come and speak to an officer or drop us an email. We've been through it before and can give you some advice on what to expect. If you do decide to run it's a good idea to discuss this with your personal tutor, dissertation supervisor, seminar tutor etc. They may wonder why you've disappeared completely for two weeks, or appear in their lecture covered in blue face paint and banners.

Last year was our biggest election turnout ever and this year we want to top it, with more candidates running and more students voting and getting involved in the democratic process at the heart of the Union. These guys are going to represent you for the next 12 months and that's a very long time in politics, so if you think you can do it better then go on and run for it!

Important things to remember

1.It isn't too late to start running: You may know people who've been planning to run for an officer position since pretty much the day they realised there was a students Union. *Cough* Paul Tobin *Cough* but that doesn't mean it's too late for you. I decided to run to be Women's Officer a week before the nominations opened and got my campaign team, manifesto, logo and slogan together in 2 weeks.

2.You don't have to have a thousand facebook friends: I can't stress this enough, It's not a popularity contest!!! The election is about who can get their message out there to students and then all importantly, make a lasting impact so that those students will actually go out and vote. Also the quality of your manifesto is important, plenty of students will know who they're voting for in a couple of categorys but probably not all and your manifesto can make all the difference.

3.Do not start campaigning until you are allowed to: If you set up a public 'vote Bob' facebook group now and start inviting everyone you will be penalised. You can tell people that you are running to be an officer before the campaigning weeks but you cannot canvass anyone for their vote.

4.It's a lot of fun: Even if you don't win it's some of the most amazing few weeks you'll have at uni.

Good luck and go for it!