B.C. health official demands retraction after oregano oil ad

VANCOUVER – A B.C. health official has demanded a natural supplement company publish a retraction after it ran an ad claiming oregano oil is an effective alternative to the whooping cough vaccine.

The chief medical officer of the Fraser Health Authority has written Port Coquitlam-based Enerex Botanicals Ltd. alleging an ad published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper on Thursday poses a public-health hazard.

The ad describes the company’s oil of oregano supplement as a natural way to fight whooping cough, claiming that “vaccines aren’t the only choice” to combat the illness.

Dr. Paul Van Buynder (BINE-der) says in the letter the claim has no evidence to back it up and risks discouraging people from getting vaccinated.

The company has until next Tuesday to submit a draft of its retraction or the health authority could apply for an injunction forcing it, although Van Buynder says he has not heard whether the company plans to comply.

The company’s marketing manager, Ryan Totten, says the company is not commenting.