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SINGAPORE: One person has so far been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) as the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) concluded its screening exercise at Bedok.<\/p>\n
In a press release on Tuesday (May 19), CDA said the patient has started treatment and “is doing well”, adding that he will be non-infectious upon completion of two weeks of treatment.<\/p>\n
It added that contact tracing is underway to identify and evaluate the close contacts of the patient.<\/p>\n
He was part of the 14.4 per cent of those screened \u2013 or 509 people \u2013 who tested positive on their blood test and were required to do a follow-up chest X-ray to determine if they have active TB or latent TB infection.<\/p>\n
To date, 447 people have completed the X-ray, and among this group, the man was diagnosed with active TB.<\/p>\n
CDA will be following up with the remaining individuals at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic or the National Tuberculosis Screening Centre.<\/p>\n
The agency also said that 42 people will undergo further evaluation at the National Tuberculosis Care Centre.<\/p>\n
“This is a precautionary measure. They may not have active TB disease but have minor abnormalities on their chest X-ray. They will undergo a thorough clinical assessment,” CDA said.<\/p>\n
The remaining people have normal chest X-rays, and may have previous infections or latent TB infection.<\/p>\n
Overall, 3,525 people were screened for TB since May 2, with 85.6 per cent testing negative and not requiring follow-up action.<\/p>\n
In an update on May 13, CDA said that the majority of people tested for TB during <\/span>screenings in Bedok<\/span> <\/strong>tested negative for the disease<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) noted that in about 90 per cent of people who have latent tuberculosis, the bacteria remain inactive in their body throughout their lives.<\/p>\n About 5 per cent of people with latent tuberculosis develop active tuberculosis within the first two years, MOH added.<\/strong><\/p>\n The remaining 5 per cent may develop active tuberculosis sometime after two years and within their lifetime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n