124 STAT. 4766 PROCLAMATION 8616—DEC. 10, 2010 influenza, we know from experience that it will pose serious health risks for thousands of Americans this season. We can all take common- sense precautions to prevent infection with influenza, including wash- ing hands frequently, covering coughs or sneezes with sleeves and not hands, and staying home when ill. However, vaccination is the best protection against contracting and spreading the flu. The vaccine is available through doctors’ offices, clinics, State and local health departments, pharmacies, college and university health centers, as well as through many employers and some primary and secondary schools. Seasonal flu activity is usually most intense between January and March, and vaccinating now can help curb the spread of this disease. Together, we can prepare as individ- uals and as a Nation for this year’s flu season and help ensure that our fellow Americans remain healthy and safe. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Con- stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Decem- ber 5 through December 11, 2010, as National Influenza Vaccination Week. I encourage Americans to get vaccinated this week if they have not yet done so, and to urge their families, friends, and co-workers to do the same. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth. BARACK OBAMA Proclamation 8616 of December 10, 2010 Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More than 60 years later, the Declaration reflects the world’s commitment to the idea that ‘‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’’ As Americans, this self-evi- dent truth lies at the heart of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. It is a belief that, while every na- tion pursues a path rooted in the culture of its own citizens, certain rights belong to all people: freedom to live as they choose, to speak openly, to organize peacefully, to worship freely, and to participate fully in the public life of their society with confidence in the rule of law. Freedom, justice, and peace for the world must begin with basic secu- rity and liberty in the lives of individual human beings. Today, we continue the fight to make universal human rights a reality for every person, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orienta- tion, or circumstance. From the freedom to associate or criticize to the
