WHAT: A press conference to announce a major new program for cervical cancer prevention in developing countries

WHEN: The press conference will be held Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 11 a.m., in conjunction with the meeting of the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention.

WHERE: Room B, 2nd Floor, Pan American Health Organization Headquarters, 525 23rd Street, NW, Washington D.C. (Virginia Ave. at 23rd St., four blocks south of Foggy Bottom Metro).

WHO: Participants include representatives from AVSC International, IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), JHPIEGO Corporation, PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

WHY: Cervical cancer is a preventable public health problem that kills more than 200,000 women annually worldwide and disproportionately affects the poorest, most vulnerable women in many parts of the world. As the leading cancer killer among women in the majority of developing countries, cervical cancer generally strikes women in midlife when they have completed their child bearing and are playing an increasingly important economic and social role in their families and communities. Unlike many other health problems of large magnitude, early identification and treatment of precancerous conditions can prevent cervical cancer.