PROCLAMATION 5697—SEPT. 8, 1987
101 STAT. 2185
others have made much progress on a voluntary basis. These efforts to enhance the welfare and safety of our citizens deserve public recognition and every commendation. The Congress, by Public Law 99-448, has designated September 11, 1987, as "9-1-1 Emergency Number Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this occasion. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 1987, as 9-1-1 Emergency Number Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth. RONALD REAGAN
Proclamation 5697 of September 8, 1987
National Reye's Syndrome Week, 1987 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Reye's Syndrome is a deadly disease that can strike a child or teenager during recovery from a relatively innocuous viral illness—from the flu, for example, or from chicken pox. Suddenly, instead of continuing to gain strength and health, the child becomes lethargic or disoriented, unusually excitable, hyperactive, irritable, or even combative. A frequent symptom is uncontrollable vomiting, and violent headaches and delirium may occur. Tragically, 30 percent of the victims of Reye's Syndrome die; another 15 to 25 percent are left with brain damage. Any child can develop Reye's Syndrome, but research strongly indicates that children given aspirin as treatment for the flu or chicken pox may be particularly vulnerable. To protect their children, parents must learn to "think Reye's": do not use aspirin to treat children with chicken pox or influenza-like illness; do recognize the early symptoms of Reye's Syndrome; and do seek medical attention for a child immediately at the first sign of those symptoms. Over the past several years, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation, the American Reye's Syndrome Foundation, and other professional and voluntary health agencies have alerted American families to the dangers of Reye's Syndrome. They have stressed the need to avoid the use of aspirin to treat flulike illness and chicken pox. The result has been a marked decline in the annual incidence of the disorder. According to a report published last year, the average annual incidence of Reye's Syndrome from 1981 to 1984 was lower than that of the previous five years, with the decrease identified among children younger than 10 years of age. The incidence in 1985 was
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