Tuberculosis clusters in Bedok: Eating at food centre is safe, says Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE – Singaporeans have a better understanding of tuberculosis (TB) as a disease and are working together to effectively suppress its spread in the community, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said.

Mr Ong cited Bedok Central as an example of the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), the community, residents and vendors coming together to “effectively suppress the disease that might lead to an outbreak later on”.

He was speaking to reporters on May 5 after visiting Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market and a TB screening centre set up at Heartbeat@Bedok.

Mr Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, reassured the public that dining at Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market remains safe, after the hawker centre was identified as one of three locations linked to several cases of TB.

Heartbeat@Bedok and the Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre at Block 215 Bedok North Street 1 were the other two.

Businesses in Bedok Central were affected by reduced footfall following the recent announcement of TB clusters on April 30.

On May 4, it was announced that they will pay only half of their rent and service and conservancy charges for May.

Mr Ong, who had breakfast at the food centre with Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How, CDA chief executive Vernon Lee and grassroots leaders, said now is the time to eat there.

“I hope that today, by me coming here and eating with everybody, we are sending a clear message to Singaporeans that now is the time to come to Bedok 216 because there are fewer people in the queue, but there are wonderful foods here,” he told reporters.

“TB does not get transmitted casually through one, two or even three meetings, or sharing of plates or shaking of hands. It requires very prolonged close exposure. So coming to eat at the hawker centre is perfectly safe.”

Comparing the TB situation in Bedok with the one at the ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre in Jalan Bukit Merah in February 2024, Mr Ong said the businesses at ABC Brickworks were more affected.

“It was very quiet, and I could pick any table I wanted. Today, I needed to search for tables,” he said.

Mr Ong also said that since February 2024, after the mass screening exercise, “we have not had a single case of active TB from residents living in the area”.

Only seven other cases were found, but they were living outside the area.

Mr Ong attributed the findings to technological capabilities after the Covid-19 pandemic, which allow the sequencing of pathogens, genetically linking the cases and making Bukit Merah a success story.

“And we are replicating it here. We have reasons to believe that we will be able to suppress it here as we did in Bukit Merah,” he said.

Agreeing, Assistant Professor Shurendar Selva Kumar from the Centre for Outbreak Preparedness at Duke-NUS Medical School said what is being observed in Bedok Central is not a sudden resurgence of TB but a reflection of Singapore’s advanced detection capabilities.

“Through whole genome sequencing incorporated into Singapore’s tuberculosis surveillance programme, health authorities have been able to identify genetically linked cases that would previously have appeared unconnected, confirming that the current cluster is related to earlier ones in the same area,” he said.

Prof Shurendar said the 13 cases across three clusters over three years are “a localised public health concern, do not signal a wider outbreak and carry no pandemic potential” as all patients identified have been promptly treated and are currently non-infectious.

As at 6pm on May 5, 1,085 individuals had been screened for TB at Heartbeat@Bedok since screening began the previous day.

An additional 274 individuals have been screened at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic.

Among the 1,359 screened, 834 stepped forward for screening voluntarily, while 525 were in the mandatory group.

In addition to Heartbeat@Bedok, individuals can make appointments for screening at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic or the National Tuberculosis Screening Centre.

Screening is free and available until June 5 at these locations.

Diners at Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market said news of the tuberculosis clusters did not hinder patronage, as they understood that the risk of TB transmission was generally low.

Retiree Chia Teck Mong, 70, who visits the food centre from Loyang up to five times a week, said he was not too concerned and that the situation should be all right “as long as people practise good hygiene”.

Hong Lim Curry Puff owner Yan Jin Lian said she had seen a 30 per cent decrease in customers.

“Usually, the tables here are all full, but recently, it’s been much emptier,” she said. “(The rental rebate) is quite helpful; if not, running the store will be quite stressful.”

Mr Steven Ng, who runs a stall selling wonton noodles, said he hoped the misunderstandings and exaggerations would be cleared up, and that TB is not transmissible through contact with cutlery at the food centre.

He added that the rental rebates may not be sufficient to cover the losses incurred. While footfall has been increasing slightly over the last few days, he said the number of customers at his stall has fallen by up to 70 per cent.

“If we hawkers could choose, we would prefer for business to be as normal,” Mr Ng said.