Proclamation 6295—National Huntington's Disease Awareness Month, 1991

Appearing without warning, Huntington's disease is a hereditary, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that gradually robs its victims of their intellect, their emotional well-being, and their control of movement. The Department of Health and Human Services reports that approximately 25,000 people in the United States have this disease, and that another 125,000 are considered at risk of developing it. Each child of an affected parent has a chance of inheriting the Huntington's gene and developing the disease.

The onset of Huntington's disease varies, usually striking after the age of 30, although signs of the disease can appear in children. However, the effects are always tragic: as the disease progresses, its victims suffer increasingly from such symptoms as slurred speech, dementia, and writhing movements known as chorea. Because victims in the later stages of Huntington's disease invariably require total personal care, affected families often bear heavy financial costs in addition to the heartache of watching a mother, father, sibling, or child slowly deteriorate.

Fortunately, however, years of research have helped to increase our understanding of Huntington's disease. Thanks to advances in molecular genetics, individuals at risk can now undergo testing to determine whether they carry a genetic marker or "signpost" for the Huntington's disease gene. Today researchers across the country, supported primarily by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, are continuing their efforts to identify the exact location of this gene. Once the gene is located, they will be able to devise new medical treatments for Huntington's disease and, we hope, ultimately find a cure.

To enhance public awareness of Huntington's disease and to underscore our concern for its victims, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 127, has designated May 1991 as "National Huntington's Disease Awareness Month" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this month.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of May 1991 as National Huntington's Disease Awareness Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH