Because there is no medicine which can cure the virus, he added, medicines should only be used to treat common flu and cold symptoms like fever, runny noses, stomach problems and aches.The flu season in Italy officially opened on Wednesday when a case with this year's new strain was confirmed by the University of Parma.
Doctors said the flu virus was found in a 41-year-old man who had not been vaccinated.
Now that the flu virus has been isolated it will be possible to determine whether this winter's flu season will be ''heavy'' or ''light'', sources at the health ministry said.
This winter's influenza has been dubbed ''Pacific flu'', after the area the strain originated in and it has already made its appearance in other European countries.
The name also referred to the flu's strength which is expected to be average.
University of Milan virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco said the 'Pacific' flu ''is a variant of the New Caledonia virus which circulated last year and thus those who caught the flu then should, in theory, be immune this year''.
Pregliasco went on to explain that ''influenza is a viral illness caused by a virus which provokes high fever, shivering, coughing, sore throat, head and muscle aches in most adults, while the elderly and the very young are also subject to intestinal disturbances''.
Real influenza, he added, ''must not be confused with the common cold which sometimes has the same flu symptoms''.
Pregliasco observed that the best way to treat 'real' flu was to rest and let it run its course.
Because there is no medicine which can cure the virus, he added, medicines should only be used to treat common flu and cold symptoms like fever, runny noses, stomach problems and aches.
These symptoms, Pregliasco explained, were in fact the reaction of the body's immune system to the flu virus.
Antibiotics, the expert warned, should be avoided because they are effective against bacterial infections and not against viral infections.
The only times when antibiotics should be used is when there are bacterial complications from flu, for example in the respiratory system.
Last year's flu season was relatively light because of the unusually mild winter but this winter is expected to be significantly colder.
A report presented last month at the 24th national congress of the Italian Society of Medicine predicted that this winter's influenza season will peak between January and February and that around three to five million people would catch the flu.
According to the health ministry, every year there are around 8,000 flu-related deaths and for this reason doctors recommend that people take flu shots, especially those in the risk categories.
These include the elderly and newborn, people with heart problems, diabetics and health sector employees.
