Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. It's  Cervical  Cancer  Awareness  month. And  there's  news  to  report, two  sets  of  draft  guidelines  now, recommend  that  women  be  screened  only once  every  three  years  instead  of  annually. The  US  Preventive  Services  Task  Force  now, and  previously  recommended  screening  every  three  years. What's  changed  is  that  the  other major  group  that  writes  guidelines, a  coalition  that  includes the  American  Cancer  Society,  is  now  in  agreement. Sham,  an  assistant  professor  of epidemiology  at  the  University  of  Minnesota, worked  on  both  sets  of  draft  guidelines. What  should  be  noted  with  these  recommendations  are  that they  recommend  screening  beginning  at  age  21, That  it  be  conducted  every three  years  if  you're  doing  it  with cytology  consistent  with  the  task  force  recommendations. And  that  screening  can  end  at  age  65. Sigame  said  that  screening  has  reduced the  incidence  and  mortality  for  cervical  cancer, but  she  added  that  both  groups  recommended against  annual  screening  for  a  long  time  in  this  country. Because  of  discrepancies  between these  different  sets  of  recommendations, clinicians  have  continued  to  screen  women  every  year. But  now  with  this  set  of  recommendations, with  both  large  groups  coming  out  and recommending  that  women  be  screened  every  three  years, hopefully  we  will  see  a  decrease  in annual  screening  because  this  really represents  over  screening  in  this  group, especially  in  younger  women. Final  guidelines  are  expected  to  be released  mid  year  for  public  health  Moment. I'm  Mark  Anger  Bergson.