Ministry of Health to conduct tuberculosis screening for over 3,000 at Jalan Bukit Merah as 10 new cases surface
There will be door-to-door screenings, as well as stations at car park to facilitate the process from 11 to 15 January
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) will conduct mandatory and voluntary tuberculosis (TB) screenings from 11 to 15 January for an estimated 3,000 residents and workers of the following areas:
Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah,
ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre,
Thong Kheng Seniors Activity Centre@Queenstown at Block 3 Jalan Bukit Merah.
The ministry said in a media release on Friday (5 January) that this screening comes after the detection of 10 new TB cases between February 2022 and July 2023, after an initial detection of seven cases linked to Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah in 2022.
These 10 cases have started on treatment since diagnosis, and do not currently pose any public health risk, as active TB disease rapidly becomes non-infectious once treatment starts.
"Genetic analysis conducted by the national TB programme in September 2023 revealed that all 10 cases have similar genetic make-up as the cases in Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah. This suggests that there had possibly been spread beyond Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah to the immediate vicinity," MOH said in the media release.
"The extended on-site TB screening is offered by MOH as a precautionary measure, to protect residents living in the area by identifying any undetected active TB disease cases, and prevent further transmission as far as possible."
Voluntary screening for four other groups
In addition, voluntary screening will be offered to these groups:
Frequent visitors to Blocks 1, 2 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah and ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre between November 2021 and January this yeat. These persons must have spent a cumulative total of more than 12 hours per month at the locations;
Persons living or working at Block 2 who did not undergo TB screening during the previous mass screening exercise from May to August 2022;
Former residents and tenants of Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah;
Teachers and students of PCF Sparkletots@Queenstown in Block 3 Jalan Bukit Merah.
As the risk of transmission to persons who are not close contacts of a TB case is very low, screening is not necessary for those who had only occasionally visited the vicinity.
The screening process involves administering a blood test to detect latent TB infection. Both mandatory and voluntary screening are free of charge, with priority given to those for whom screening is mandatory.
Screening stations at open-air car park
From 11 to 13 January, staff from MOH and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) will be going door-to-door to conduct mandatory screenings in the homes of residents of Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah. They will also be visiting all units at the affected blocks and stalls at the ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre from 6 to 9 January, to engage residents and stallholders and to address any questions they may have.
Screening stations will also be set up at the open-air car park adjacent to Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah from 11 to 15 January, to cater to persons working at the blocks or ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre. Residents who are unable to undergo screening in their homes can request to be screened at the screening stations instead.
Persons who are offered voluntary screening can make an appointment for screening at the car park of Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah from 14 to 15 January. Screening is strictly by appointment only.
TB is curable, spread is preventable: MOH
Those who test positive for latent TB infection will be required to undergo additional evaluation, which includes chest x-ray, clinic review and other tests such as sputum testing. They will be offered preventive treatment to reduce their risk of developing active TB disease in the future.
Those with an abnormal chest x-ray will be further evaluated at the TB Control Unit and if diagnosed with active TB disease, treatment will commence promptly. Contact tracing for each active TB disease case will be conducted in accordance with current contact tracing protocols to identify and evaluate close contacts.
Persons with latent TB infection do not exhibit symptoms of TB, are not infectious and therefore do not pose a public health risk. Transmission of the TB bacteria from active cases usually requires prolonged exposure - days to weeks, rather than minutes to hours. A person cannot get TB from sharing cups, utensils or food, and TB is also not spread through shaking hands, kissing, touching bed linens or toilet seats.
MOH said that active TB disease is curable, and the spread of TB is preventable. Early detection and prompt treatment of cases remain important in helping those infected and rendering them non-infectious.
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