The Department of Health in Free State has refuted suggestions by Gift of the Givers that it is under reporting on the cholera outbreak cases in that province.
This after the organisation raised concern, saying that its teams in the Free State received information that the number of people who have died in the province could be up to 10 deaths over the last few days.
On Wednesday, the NGO told journalists that it received calls from locals telling its officials in the Free State that in one case, a family lost three members just days apart.
This while the provincial health department reported only two deaths.
Free State Department of Health Spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi, says they do not agree with the pronouncement of untested suspected cholera cases.
Mvabi has raised concern about the dangers such suggestions could cause.
The department has also urged the public to believe information about causes of death that are confirmed by laboratory tests and not opinions that are not scientifically supported by facts.
The Department of Health is calling on South Africans to continue washing their hands and to boil water before they consume it.
It is encouraging anyone who experiences slight symptoms of diarrhea to go to their nearest health facility for urgent help.
The cholera outbreak has so far claimed the lives of 32 people in the country, with Gauteng being the epicentre.
E.coli cases
Meanwhile, Gift of the Givers says its teams are dealing with E.coli infected water in Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape, where the number of cases is rising at Settlers Hospital and six clinics.
Gift of the Givers Founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, says they are distributing water to several parts of the country that have been affected by cholera or water shortages.
