Informative Speech on Influenza

Title: Influenza Purpose: The purpose of my speech is to educate the audience about prevention, treatment and how to know whether a person is suffering from the flu rather than another illness such as the common cold. Thesis Statement: There are many different ways to break the chain of infection and protect yourself and those around you from getting the flu, starting with something as simple as hand washing is one of the key ways to reduce your risk of many illnesses including the flu. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter:
Millions of people in the United States become sick with the flu each year and there’s probably a good possibility that most of the people in here have suffered from it at some point in their life, do you know how to treat the flu if you or someone close to you has it, or do you know what measures to take in order to prevent yourself from getting it? B. Relevance Statement It may not seem severe to many people in here but if you plan on entering the healthcare field then you will probably encounter many patients over the course of your career that are ill with the flu.
If these patients are elderly, infants or pregnant women then it is important that you know the signs and symptoms, ways to treat the flu and methods to prevent the flu to avoid complications related to the flu ranging from pneumonia or even death according to the CDC (2013). C. Credibility Statement I have been working in the healthcare field for the past six years and currently I am employed by a local nursing home as a licensed practical nurse and these past two months have been hectic due to the severity and outbreak of the flue this year.

When one person contracts the flu in a nursing home it spreads quickly. This year we had to shut down dining our main dining room where residents can eat together and also the resident common area due to the outbreak of the flu this year. It started with one person and then next thing you know within days over half of the residents were showing signs and symptoms of the flu. Next thing we had to do was protect staff from the ones who tested positive for the flu by having them wear masks, gown and gloves whenever going into a room with a resident that had the flu.
Then almost everyone resident needed their vital signs measure especially their temperature every shift and not long after that every resident was placed on Tamiflu which is an antiviral medication to prevent the flu or lessen the severity if you already contracted the flu. The point I am trying to make is that the flu is not only severe and spreads quickly it also takes a lot of work and costs quite a bit of money to treat especially when you have an outbreak that nearly spreads through the whole facility which is not uncommon in nursing homes during flu seasons. D.
Thesis Statement: There are many different ways to break the chain of infection and protect yourself and those around you from getting the flu, starting with something as simple as hand washing is one of the key ways to reduce your risk of many illnesses including the flu. E. Purpose: The purpose of my speech is to educate the audience about prevention, treatment and how to know whether a person is suffering from the flu rather than another illness such as the common cold. Transition: First, let me begin by defining some of the common causes and symptoms associated with the flu.