IT IS heart warming to learn that the coronavirus figures are declining and let’s hope we can all return to a form of normality soon.

Back in 1976 Britain’s flu epidemic was giving cause for concern.

The national death toll from one or other of the three major flu strains was reported to be rising rapidly although a check around the local doctor’s surgeries showed that epidemic proportions were some way off Salisbury and district.

“No flu here” was the report from one group of practices, while another said their list of cases was higher than usual.

At another surgery, the receptionist said that a lot of their patients thought they had flu but, in fact, had bad colds.

“With many people,” she said, “it seems to be the vogue to dramatise a bad cold by dubbing it ‘flu’ and this could be the reason for much of the talk of epidemic – but it is not true of Salisbury at least.”

Another doctor said he had patients with the clinical symptoms of influenza but there were no epidemic proportions.

It was considered cold comfort, however, for the person who felt shivery, had a sore throat and runny nose, and who cared little for what the wretched symptoms were called.

But for them the advice was simple – go to bed, keep warm and drink lots of hot drinks.

This advice came from Salisbury Community Physician, Dr Hazel Williams who confirmed that there was not an epidemic in the city.

“And we don’t want it,” she said.

“The best way to keep the epidemic out is to keep flu to yourself. If you get it, go to bed and stay there.

“Don’t socialise with the family and keep yourself to yourself as much as possible.”

A familiar statement 45 years later….