Garlic pills substituted for flu jab

Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre at Auckland University, says the pills, offered to about 3000 administration staff as an alternative to flu vaccines for several years, are a waste of money.

She says the offer was made again this week despite the centre advising the ministry last year there was no evidence the pills could prevent flu and only weak evidence it could shorten a cold if taken after symptoms appeared.

The ministry confirmed the pills were offered this winter but a spokeswoman said she did not know if taxpayers were footing the bill.

The spokeswoman said the ministry offered the vaccine "in the interests of staff wellbeing. For those staff who don't want a flu shot and prefer alternative ways of caring for themselves through the winter, the ministry offers garlic and echinacea tablets".

Turner says there are potential health risks with garlic and echinacea - which were anti-clotting agents and should not be taken by people having surgery. Doctors recommend the remedies be stopped two weeks before surgery.

"We don't think ministry staff are being advised of these risks. People seem to think that because these things are `natural' that they are risk-free."

While echinacea was known to have some effect on the immune system, no one was clear how it worked.

The centre has asked the Health Ministry to intervene.