jUfafe of (Notify
Carolina
PAT McCRORY
GOVERNOR
CYSTIC FIBROSIS AWARENESS MONTH
2016
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Cystic Fibrosis, commonly referred to as "CF," is a genetic disease affecting nearly 70,000 children and adults
worldwide and approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States, 883 of whom live in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, a defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, and these
secretions produce life-threatening lung infections and obstruct the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the
intestines to help break down and absorb food; and
WHEREAS, more than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene, and CF occurs in
approximately one of every 3,500 live births in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the number of adults with CF has steadily grown, and approximately 1000 new cases of CF are diagnosed each
year; the median age of survival for a person with CF is 40.7 years; and
WHEREAS, fifty percent of the CF population is 1 8 years of age and older, and people with CF have a variety of symptoms
attributed to the more than 1,800 mutations of the CF gene; and
WHEREAS, infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is the most reliable and least costly method to identify persons
likely to have CF; and
WHEREAS, early diagnosis of CF permits early treatment and enhances quality of life and longevity, and the treatment of
CF depends on the stage of the disease and the organs involved; and
WHEREAS, clearing mucus from the lungs is an important part of the daily CF treatment regimen, and other types of
treatments include inhaled antibiotics and pancreatic enzymes, among others; and
WHEREAS, there are eight world-class treatment centers in North Carolina which specialize in the diagnosis of CF and the
care of persons with CF; and
WHEREAS, a critical component of treating patients with CF includes access to innovative treatments, which can play a
crucial role in the lives of patients with CF;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PAT McCRORY, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim
May 2016, as “CYSTIC FIBROSIS AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the
Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-eighth day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.