Presidential Document2022-19302
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2022
Primary source
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Published
September 6, 2022
Signed
August 31, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 171 (Tuesday, September 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 6, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54307-54308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19302]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2022 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 54307]]
Proclamation 10437 of August 31, 2022
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2022
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Sickle cell disease (SCD) presents grave health
challenges for an estimated 100,000 Americans. For
some, it triggers intermittent episodes of pain,
difficulty with vision, and serious fatigue. Other
survivors experience this disease more acutely--SCD can
cause infections, strokes, and even organ failure. For
almost everyone impacted, coping with inherited red
blood cell disorders means putting plans on pause,
living with excruciating pain, paying for expensive
treatments, and hoping for a day when medications and
doctor visits no longer interrupt life. During National
Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we recognize the
perseverance of SCD patients, and we recommit to
working with our partners in State and local
government, the nonprofit space, and the private sector
to develop treatments and cures for this debilitating
disease.
Like many rare diseases, SCD affects our population
unevenly. Black and Brown Americans are
disproportionately affected. About 1 in 13 Black
children tests positive for the sickle cell trait, and
about 1 in 365 Black Americans develops the disease
over the course of their lifetime. Due to persistent
systemic inequities in our health care system, these
same patients are also often the last to get help. Few
specialty clinics are available for SCD treatments,
information about detecting this disease is not always
widely shared, and pain management can be a challenge
due to the intermittent nature of sickle cell crises
and persistent racial disparities in pain assessment
and treatment. Moreover, there exists no universally
effective cure; bone marrow and stem cell transplants
have allowed some people to overcome SCD, but low donor
availability and treatment-related complications render
these procedures unviable for many patients.
Medical professionals and scientists in my
Administration and across our Nation are working to put
an end to SCD. The Food and Drug Administration
recently approved new drug therapies to help patients
manage their pain. Through its ``Cure Sickle Cell
Initiative,'' the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
is striving to develop safe and effective genetic
therapies and exploring applications for machine
learning to predict organ function decline in SCD
patients. Additionally, the NIH has invited researchers
to apply for funding to support large-scale clinical
trials on treating SCD pain symptoms. We are closer
than ever to finding a cure today for all patients, and
I am optimistic about our progress.
Even so, it is still important for Americans to
understand the signs of this disease, the risks of
inheriting this condition, as well as the various
resources available to those who test positive. Most
people with the sickle cell trait do not exhibit
symptoms, and many are unaware of their potential to
carry on this gene. Experts agree that it is important
to get tested, especially if you have family members
who have been diagnosed with SCD. There are also
helpful resources online to learn more about this
disease, like the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's sickle cell information page at <a href="http://cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/index.html">cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/index.html</a>.
As we continue our quest to cure sickle cell disease,
let us celebrate the strides our health experts have
made in understanding and treating this
[[Page 54308]]
condition. Let us offer strength to those Americans
fighting its effects today and unite in our mission to
enhance the quality of life for those diagnosed with
SCD.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2022
as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. I call upon
the people of the United States to learn more about the
progress we are making to reduce the burden of this
disease on our fellow Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2022-19302
Filed 9-2-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 6, 2022.
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