Representatives from pharmaceutical companies that make the leading HPV vaccinations will be at a Department of Health public meeting next week.Yesterday, Minister of Health Zane DeSilva launched Cervical Health Awareness Month.The meeting, which will be held on January 20, will outline the various preventative measures females can take against cervical cancer.Mr DeSilva said: “Vaccines are available to prevent HPV infections which are known to be one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. Early detection of cervical cancer is possible through regular screening tests such as the PAP test.“When pre-cancer change is identified during routine screening it is eminently curable.“When cervical cancer is identified in its early stages, it is highly treatable often resulting in long term survival with excellent quality of life.“However, if left undetected or found in its advanced stages, cervical cancer becomes more difficult to treat.”Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths of women in the US. However, with the implementation of routine PAP tests the number of deaths has been drastically reduced.In Bermuda there are two vaccines available to prevent HPV, Gardasil and Cervarix.Mr DeSilva said: “It is recommended that vaccination against HPV be offered to adolescent girls between the ages of 11 to 12 years, or as close to these ages as practical, and continue to be available to young women up to a maximum age of 26.“The secondary goal of this month's campaign is to educate the public about other means of preventing cervical cancer.“We want to ensure that all adolescent girls and young women understand the health benefits of delaying sexual activity until adulthood, reducing the number of lifetime sexual partners, not smoking and getting the HPV vaccine before the onset of sexual activity. These ‘healthy behaviours' all considerably reduce the risk of cervical cancer and contribute greatly to cervical health.”The Department will hold a public meeting on cervical cancer on January 20 at 6.30pm at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. The guest speaker is Hilda Dunsmore, gynecologist and Medical Officer at the Department of Health.There will also be representatives from the Bermuda, Cancer and Health, the Department of Health and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the HPV vaccine will also attend.