Teal Ribbon

I’m sure we can all resonate with pink ribbons often donned in October, especially by people in the healthcare industry. The ribbons are used to raise awareness and show support and stand in solidarity with all patients. Did you know that different types of cancer are represented by different colours? Now you know.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The colour of the ribbon used is teal. A colour most people would describe as greenish – blue (or bluish-green). Cervical Cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally with around 660,000 new cases and around 350,000 deaths in 2022 (WHO) .

Like most forms of cancer, cervical cancer is largely preventable through HPV Vaccination and regular screening (as recommended by national guidelines). However, it is curable if detected early and treatment promptly.

Screening is only as good as the tools used to perform it. From the cytobrushes, speculums and spatulas used in collection of the sample, to the preservation & transportation and finally the laboratory testing. All these steps are vital in ensuring the sample is usable and the results are trustworthy.

The entire diagnostic process is essentially a chain, and it is only as strong as its first link: the collection. As a company that deals in medical products, this is where we come in. Our work is centered on this 'first mile' of the screening process, ensuring that healthcare providers have the correct specialized and necessary tools needed to capture a high-yield, high-quality sample from the start.

One of the biggest hurdles of screening is ‘unsatisfactory sample’. This forces a lot of patients to return for a repeat procedure, something not too many of them are open to. It is therefore imperative that we ensure precision of the collection tools that we provide. To ensure that one sample is enough for a definitive result.

Ultimately, successful screening is a collaborative effort between the patient, healthcare provider and technology used at the point of care. By prioritizing high yield collecting tools, we ensure the path from screening to results is direct, dependable and comfortable, eliminating ‘what ifs’ and stress from repeat visits.

Have you booked your appointment yet? Regular screening is a simple step with live saving impact. For girls aged 9-14 years, the HPV vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection, cervical cancer and other HPV – related cancers (WHO)

We’re surrounded by ladies; they’re our colleagues, sisters, cousins, partners, friends, daughters…let us contribute to the accelerating effort that countries worldwide are putting in, to eliminate cervical cancer. All this starts with a simple step – screening.