Ten new tuberculosis (TB) cases have been found to be part of a Jalan Bukit Merah cluster that first surfaced in 2022. This has prompted the Ministry of Health (MOH) to hold a mass screening exercise from Jan 11 to 15 to identify any undetected active cases and prevent further transmission.
The exercise is mandatory for some groups and voluntary for others, and an estimated 3,000 individuals are expected to be screened.
It will be mandatory for those who live and work in Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah, employees at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, as well as clients and staff of the senior activity centre at Block 3 Jalan Bukit Merah.
The 10 additional active TB cases are genetically linked to the previously announced cluster of seven cases at Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah in 2022, said MOH. In total, the cluster now has 28 cases, including four at Blocks 1 and 3 that surfaced afterwards and seven that were picked up during the mass screening exercise that was held after the cluster of seven was identified.
The new screening effort is a risk mitigation exercise, in an effort to bring rates of TB down further in Singapore, said an MOH spokesman. The disease is endemic worldwide.
"Because we have detected these new cases, as a precaution we are conducting both mandatory and voluntary screening so we can reduce any further risk," he said.
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