Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Cervical Cancer Linked to Virus

Almost 5,000 American women die of cervical cancer each year, and virtually all the deaths could be prevented by routine Pap smears and by safe sex, a National Institutes of Health panel concluded. Virtually all cases of the disease are triggered by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can be prevented with condoms, the panel reported. It also recommended that young people delay the start of sexual activity and limit the number of partners. The committee found that about half of the women diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States have never had a Pap test.