The Allegheny County Courthouse fountain began flowing pink at 11 a.m. Friday to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Everyone knows someone affected by this disease," said Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein.  

"If turning this fountain pink makes one woman in Allegheny County get a mammogram, we have succeeded," he said. 

The annual tradition is in its seventh year, said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. 

He said the county's role in helping spread awareness was important because the more the public was educated, the better the odds that the disease can be controlled. 

"This is one of the few illnesses that if detected early is 100 percent curable," he said. 

About one in eight woman in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. More than 207,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed among women this year. 

While there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States today, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 women will die from the disease in 2011. 

How are you helping spread awareness of breast cancer? Tell us in the comments.