SINGAPORE – The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) confirmed on Wednesday, May 13, that 85.1 per cent of the 3,169 people screened for tuberculosis (TB) at Bedok Central tested negative, while 473 tested positive on the blood test.
The agency is currently reaching out to these individuals to schedule chest X-ray appointments to determine whether they have active TB or latent TB infection (LTBI).
"The blood test indicates whether a person has been exposed to TB bacteria. Most are expected to have LTBI, which means they do not exhibit symptoms of TB, are not infectious, and therefore do not pose a public health risk," the agency said.
On-site mobile chest X-rays are available at Heartbeat@Bedok from 13 to 15 May for those who tested positive. Those unable to attend can go to SATA CommHealth instead. All screening and further tests are free of charge.
dr checking patient chest using stethoscope
The week-long screening ran from 2 to 8 May at Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, and Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre. It followed the detection of 13 genetically similar TB cases across three clusters at those locations between January 2023 and February 2026.
CDA said the 14.9 per cent positivity rate was within expectations, given the transmission clusters detected and the high proportion of elderly residents in the area. The national LTBI prevalence among Singapore residents was 12.7 per cent in 2015, rising from two per cent among those aged 18 to 29 to 29 per cent among those aged 70 to 79.
Those with normal X-ray results will be referred to SATA CommHealth Bedok for voluntary TB preventive treatment at no cost. Those with abnormal results will be further evaluated at the National Tuberculosis Care Centre and, if diagnosed with active TB, will begin treatment promptly. CDA will conduct contact tracing for every confirmed active TB case.
Of the 1,255 people in the mandatory screening group, 41 had yet to be tested or booked an appointment as of 12 May. CDA urged them to come forward at SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic or the National Tuberculosis Screening Centre before 5 June 2026, when free screening ends.
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- Preliminary Update on Results of Tuberculosis Screening at Heartbeat@Bedok https://www.cda.gov.sg/news-and-events/preliminary-update-on-results-of-tuberculosis-screening-at-heartbeat-bedok/
