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NUH to screen child patients for tuberculosis tests

NUH to screen child patients for tuberculosis tests

The National University Hospital said on Friday that they would be screening paediatric patients in the next few weeks for tuberculosis (TB).

Earlier in the day, the hospital announced that they are calling back 178 patients, all children, on Tuesday (1 December) for tests.

In a statement in response to Yahoo Singapore's queries, NUH said it made the move after finding out that a nurse, who took care of those children at the hospital’s children’s ward in Ward 47, had been diagnosed with TB on 27 November.

According to associate professor Daniel Goh, the paediatric nurse was diagnosed with “pulmonary tuberculosis” and has since begun taking medication. The nurse has also been referred to the Tuberculosis Control Unit for follow-up treatments.

“Her co-workers who have been working in the ward have been screened and none of them have symptoms of the infection,” said Goh.

NUH’s chief executive officer Joe Sim said, “We fully understand the anxiety of the parents and are taking this matter seriously.”

NUH also said that current treatment options could help to reduce the risk of developing active TB by more than 90 per cent. However, treatments will not protect children from acquiring a new infection in the future.

Although screening is important, it does not need to be done immediately because “not everyone who is exposed to TB becomes infected”, and the “body immune system fights the TB bacteria”, said NUH. It noted that TB is only developed in 10 per cent of those with latent TB infection.

Symptoms of TB include "low-grade fevers, night sweats and coughing up blood or sputum", according to the Ministry of Health.