Proclamation 5901 --
National Diabetes Month, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Eleven
million Americans suffer from diabetes. The disease strikes men, women, and
children of all races. It takes many forms and is likely to have many causes,
but the long-term outcome is the same -- over the years, diabetes damages the
heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and nerves. The disease and its
complications affect individuals and our country heavily in terms of illness,
disability, and economic loss.
Through
research, we are learning how diabetes occurs, how it causes complications, and
how in the future we may short-circuit its effects. We are also improving the
understanding and management of diabetes, thereby helping people with this
disease to minimize the threat of complications.
Nevertheless,
much work lies ahead. As research continues to provide insights, the
communication of new information to those in the forefront of managing this
disease -- primary care practitioners and people with diabetes -- will permit
new advances to be put into practice.
Through
research we can find a way to eradicate this disease, and through public
awareness we can keep those with diabetes healthier than ever before. The
continued cooperation of the Federal Government, the scientific community, and
private individuals and organizations makes our success in both these realms
possible.
To
increase public awareness of diabetes and to emphasize the need for continued
research efforts, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 272, has designated
November 1988 as ``National Diabetes Month'' and authorized and requested the
President to issue a proclamation in observance of this occasion.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,