Villarreal 1

Andres Villarreal

ENGL 1301- 119

Dr. Sharity Nelson

19 September 2022

Genre Analysis for “What should I do if…” Poster

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that has gone down in history as one of the worst

threats society has ever faced. Many lives have been lost and families have been left grieving for

their loved ones. Some countries have been affected more than others. Romania, for example, has

had more than ten thousand cases and hundreds of deaths daily. Because of this, the United

Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has taken action to help those in need by putting

up posters on their website to spread awareness. These posters are able to capture the attention of

people, provide resources within the website, and give directions to know what to do when

infected.

The posters created by UNICEF are able to give citizens a clear understanding of the

message it is giving. There is one poster in particular that uses visual images to convey what

symptoms to look out for that can indicate someone has COVID-19. They show images such as

someone squinting and releasing something out of their mouth (“What should I do if…”). This is

used as a representation of coughing or sneezing to warn people to keep their distance from others

who may have these symptoms. There is another image of a house with a lock next to it. This

represents the case in which someone having symptoms should isolate themselves at home and

avoid getting others infected. Using visual representation is one of the best ways to spread

awareness because people of all ages can understand.

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A poster can only provide so much information. UNICEF has thought of this and included

other resources within the website of the poster to give further information for the public. These

resources include topics such as facts about COVID-19 that they would find intriguing and how to

discuss it with others. There is a link that leads to another poster that gives more instruction on how

people can protect themselves from the virus. There is even a link on the website that leads to a

poster that provides information about activities to do while isolating at home. It is there as a way

of bringing optimism to a sick individual, saying to “consider the time spent at home an unplanned

vacation…” (How to spend time if you have to stay home because of the new Coronavirus). These

resources offer a wide variety of extra information for the citizens of Romania to learn about and

apply to their daily habits to prevent any more cases from appearing.

The topic of knowing what to do when infected with COVID-19 is very important. This

poster provides steps to follow to ensure that the individual infected does not spread the virus to

others around them. The instructions recommend calling the doctor of their family if at any point

they have cold related symptoms such as fever, coughing, or any kind of respiratory release (“What

should I do if…). If the doctor is not available, then they should call the emergency number. In the

case of Romania, They should call the number 112. They should then go home away from the

public and wait for an ambulance to bring a COVID test to confirm if the individual has the virus

or not. By then, the individual is made aware if they are infected or not and can isolate themself at

home until the virus subsides. These simple steps can create the greatest difference in decreasing

the rate at which cases appear.

The virus is still a threat to the human race. It is still mutating and forming new variants that

are stronger than the last. People still fear for their loved ones as they do not know if they will be

affected and risk the health of others. Countries around the world such as Romania need to take the
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precautions needed to prevent any more cases and deaths from happening. The United Nations

International Children’s Fund is devoted to bringing awareness of the virus by bringing the

situation to their attention, providing resources that share more information, and providing steps on

what to do when infected to stop this virus from affecting more people. UNICEF has thought

strategically how to handle this situation and have provided what they believe is the best way to do

so. If people not only in Romania, but around the world follow these steps, it would mean putting

an end to the global pandemic.

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References

UNICEF. “What should I do if...” UNICEF,

https://www.unicef.org/romania/documents/poster-what-should-i-do-if. Accessed 19

September 2022.