Campaign key messages include:

For Maori women 30-50

• cervical cancer is caused by a very common virus: HPV.  But you can stop this cancer before it starts
• HPV is a very common virus that most women will have at some stage. Genital HPV is a sexually transmitted infection
• you can develop HPV without knowing it, even if you are no longer sexually active - and regardless of age
• HPV usually has no symptoms, so the only way to know you are affected is to have regular smear tests every three years
• a smear test can pick up cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer
• cell changes can then be monitored and treated before cancer develops
• if you’re aged between 20 and 70 and have ever been sexually active, having a smear test every three years could save your life – so you can be there for your whanau in the future
• make sure you - and those you care about - know how cervical cancer affects you and what you can do to protect yourself from getting it.

For Pacific women 30-50 and their family and friends

• cervical cancer is caused by a common virus called HPV. Genital HPV is a sexually transmitted infection
• most of the women you care about are likely to have HPV at some stage in their lives
• it normally doesn’t have any symptoms, so they won’t know they have HPV unless they have regular smear tests
• women you care about who are aged between 20 and 70 need to have a smear test every three years
• regular smear tests every three years can pick up cell changes caused by HPV so that these can be monitored and treated before they develop into cancer
• by encouraging them to have a smear test every three years, you could save their life
• we need to be more open about cervical cancer - talk about cervical cancer with those you care about.