SINGAPORE – The republic has identified two genetically separate tuberculosis (TB) clusters involving 18 individuals who had prolonged exposure to the virus at the Singapore Pools Betting Centre in Bedok.
The clusters were determined through genetic sequencing and epidemiological investigations that concluded this month.
The investigations were part of retrospective testing of TB cases to determine linkages, said the Health Ministry on its website.
“The 18 cases were diagnosed between February 2015 and October 2020.”
It said the investigations did not reveal common links other than that the patients had all frequently visited the betting centre over a period ranging from months to years, and spent prolonged durations at the facility watching live horse-racing telecasts.
“The cases did not know one another, and had not identified one another as close contacts.”
The ministry said TB is endemic in the republic, and latent infection is not uncommon within the population.
TB had been prevalent in Singapore until the 1970s, and older citizens might have been exposed to the virus and acquired a latent infection when they were younger.
“Persons with latent TB do not experience symptoms of TB and are not infectious,” said the ministry.
It noted that the 18 cases immediately started treatment following diagnosis, and do not pose a public health risk. – Bernama, January 21, 2021
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