3 new TB clusters discovered in Bedok Central, screening to be done for those frequenting key spots

SINGAPORE – Three tuberculosis (TB) clusters with a total of 13 cases, all genetically similar, have formed in Bedok Central, with some of them likely infected through repeated visits or prolonged exposure at three key locations.

The locations are Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market, and Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre at Block 215 Bedok North Street 1.

From May 4 to 7, mandatory TB screening at Heartbeat@Bedok will be conducted for about 700 tenants and employees who work at these locations, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).

Voluntary screening will also be offered to people who have visited these locations for an extended period of time since 2023.

“This is really a precautionary measure as the risk of getting TB from casual, transient contact is actually very low”, said Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How, who spoke to the media at the townhall session held at Heartbeat@Bedok for affected tenants and workers on April 30.

Mr Tan is the MP overseeing the Kampong Chai Chee division, within East Coast GRC, which the three key locations fall within.

Transmission of the TB bacteria usually requires prolonged exposure over days or weeks of contact, rather than minutes or hours. The risk of infection from casual or brief contact remains low, said CDA in a press release on April 30.

Thus, the authorities did not close down these locations, said CDA’s chief executive, Professor Vernon Lee, who added it is safe to eat at the food centre.

Mr Tan said the estimated 80 tenants and workers who attended the town hall were calm as they were aware of how TB transmits, and that medication is available for those infected.

However, some tenants were concerned about the possible impact on their businesses due to misperception of TB.

He urged the public to continue supporting the businesses, and said that relief measures such as rental rebates might be explored if businesses were indeed impacted.

Mr Koh Lim Poh, chairman of the Bedok North Block 216 Food Centre and Market Hawkers’ Association, said he is worried about the potential impact on the businesses and was glad to know there could be relief measures.

Mr Choon Giap Karn, 69, who runs a stall at the food centre, said he hoped that the impact on businesses would not be prolonged, and was thankful for the screening exercise that could help infected persons start treatment early.

CDA found a total of 13 cases with genetic similarities across the three clusters in Bedok Central between January 2023 and February 2026.

The three key locations were identified after CDA realised that there were several cases who were not close contacts of earlier confirmed cases, but who had overlapping activity patterns at these locations over a period of time, which could have led to their infection.

The agency said all 13 had started on their treatment immediately after diagnosis and are no longer infectious.

Seven patients have already completed their treatment, while five are still undergoing treatment. The remaining patient has died from other causes not linked to the TB infection.

As a precautionary measure, screenings will be conducted. CDA said all screening, mandatory or voluntary, as well as further tests, are offered free of charge.

Screening is mandatory for all tenants and workers of the affected locations.

Members of the public who have spent 96 hours cumulatively over a period of one year at these three locations from January 2023, which is equivalent to two hours per week or eight hours per month, can turn up for voluntary screening.

For instance, if a person has visited Heartbeat@Bedok every weekend over a year, with each visit lasting two hours, the cumulative exposure would have been 104 hours, and he or she is eligible for screening.

Members of the public can make use of an online tool at https://go.gov.sg/eligibilitybedok2026 to check whether they need to be screened.

Screening can be done at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic on May 2, from 8.30am to 3pm.

From May 4 to 7, CDA will arrange for onsite screening at the atrium of Heartbeat@Bedok. Registration for onsite screening can be done online.

The screening involves a blood test to detect TB infection. CDA will contact those who test positive, to get a chest X-ray done. Onsite chest X-ray screening will also be available at Heartbeat@Bedok on May 14 and 15.

Those with a positive blood test but a normal chest X-ray result are classified as having latent TB infection, which means they do not exhibit symptoms and are not infectious, and therefore do not pose a public health risk, said CDA.

Nonetheless, they will be offered preventive treatment of anti-TB antibiotics over four to six months to reduce their risk of developing active TB disease in the future.

Those with an abnormal chest X-ray result will be further evaluated at the National Tuberculosis Care Centre, and will be treated promptly if they have active TB.

CDA will conduct contact tracing for each active TB case to screen close contacts.

Those who are unable to attend the onsite screening may make alternative appointments at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic or the National Tuberculosis Screening Centre, to be screened from May 4 to June 5.

TB can spread when a person with active TB coughs, speaks or sings. Not all infected individuals will get the disease, as the bacterium can remain latent for a lifetime.

TB typically infects the lungs, though it can also hit other parts of the body, such as the brain, lymph nodes or bones.

Symptoms disease include a persistent cough that lasts more than two weeks, low-grade fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss and chest pain, said CDA.

CDA said a person cannot get TB from sharing cups, eating utensils, or food. TB is also not spread through shaking hands, kissing, touching bed linens or toilet seats.

TB remains a global public health threat, though it is curable and the spread is preventable. In 2023, there were more than 10.8 million cases of active TB globally, with 1.25 million deaths.

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, South-east Asia, home to less than a quarter of the global population, disproportionately accounts for more than one in every three new TB cases worldwide annually.

Malaysia has seen a recent rise in TB cases, with 3,161 cases recorded in the first six weeks of 2026 – a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.

CDA has clarified the TB clusters in Singapore are not linked to Malaysia’s cases.

In Singapore, TB is endemic. There were 1,019 new cases of active TB disease among Singapore residents in 2025, lower than the 1,156 in 2024.