Proclamation 5572 --
National Diabetes Month, 1986
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Diabetes
afflicts perhaps one in twenty Americans and is one of the leading causes of
death in our Nation. Every year, diabetes takes more than 35,000 lives and
contributes to the loss of another 95,000. Diabetes can cause complications
such as blindness, heart or kidney disease, strokes, birth defects, and lower
life expectancy. This disease also imposes a personal burden on those affected
with it and on their families. Day-to-day treatment is a lifelong
responsibility for those who have diabetes.
Despite
diabetes' serious consequences, almost half of those with the disease are not
aware they have it. Through greater public awareness of the frequency and the
dangers of diabetes, we may reduce the incidence of complications from it --
and even prevent most cases of noninsulin-dependent
diabetes.
Thanks
to advances in research in recent years, we understand more than ever before
about diabetes and its mechanisms. This knowledge is providing the basis for
trials of new diagnostic techniques and new treatments.
Through
the shared dedication of the Federal government and of private organizations
and individuals, we can continue to make progress in research and education
efforts aimed at controlling and one day curing this disease. The goal of
eliminating diabetes as a public health threat is an essential task and a
realizable one.
To
increase public awareness about the dangers of diabetes and the need for
continued research and education efforts, the Congress, by Public Law 99 - 460,
has designated the month of November 1986 as ``National Diabetes Month'' and
authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of
this month.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed
with the Office of the Federal Register,