Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 89.djvu/1281

 PROCLAMATION 4339—DEC. 30, 1974 Proclamation 4339

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89 STAT. 1221

December 30, 1974

March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month, 1975

By the President of the United States of

America

A Proclamation The nation's most precious resource is our children. Each year, however, about 150,000 babies born alive in this country have some kind of birth defect. In the first year of life, birth defects are a leading cause of death. Today, more than 1,500 genetic defects have been cataloged, and new defects are being described in increzising numbers. Some of these are pre-existing defects from parent to child, some are caused by factors in the environment such as radiation exposure, drugs, chemicals and infections, while the cause of others is still unknown. Discovery that a baby has a birth defect is devastating to parents. In some families, however, the probability that a specific birth defect will occur can be predicted with some accuracy. Some defects can be diagnosed before, at, or shortly after birth. Almost as many are discovered during the first year of life. A few do not become evident until years later. Some defects can be corrected during the earliest months of life, but others unfortunately result in life-long handicaps and are irreversible. Some defects are severe and some are so mild that they can be overcome with specialized medical management. Birth defects occur in families in every social, economic, racial, and educational level. The problems presented by these defects today are different than they were 10 years ago. Damage caused to an unborn infant by the German measles virus can virtually be eliminated with the use of the German measles vaccine. Further reductions in other birth defects can be made using knowledge already available. Good prenatal care from the earliest weeks of pregnancy, or, better yet, even before pregnancy, can help protect the pregnant woman and her unborn child from potential factors known to cause these tragic defects. In addition, new information about genetics and the effects of drugs taken by a

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