Mandatory TB screening for 3,000 people in Jalan Bukit Merah as 10 new cases surface

The prevention of transmission is challenging because an individual can develop active TB disease months or years after being exposed to it, but new genetic sequencing techniques in recent years have allowed MOH to more accurately link TB cases to one another, conduct screening and, hopefully, lower transmission numbers as much as possible, it said. 

The 10 cases had surfaced between February 2022 and July 2023. Of the 10, two live in Block 1, one lives in Block 2, one works at the market and six reported frequent visits to the market and food centre but do not live in Jalan Bukit Merah.

MOH said these individuals started their treatment upon diagnosis and are no longer infectious, as active TB disease rapidly becomes non-infectious once treatment starts. 

It is also offering voluntary screening to a few groups of people. The first group comprises frequent visitors of ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre or the three blocks in Jalan Bukit Merah. They had spent more than 12 hours a month there, any time between Nov 21 and Jan 24. 

The rest are those who are living and working at Block 2 but did not undergo TB screening during the previous mass screening exercise in 2022, former residents and tenants of Blocks 1 and 3, and the pre-school teachers and pupils at Block 3.

MOH said that screening is not necessary for those who had only occasionally visited the blocks, market and food centre or the area because the risk of transmission to people who are not close contacts of a TB case is low.