/18 diagnosed with tuberculosis after prolonged exposure at S’pore Pools Bedok Betting Centre – Mothership.SG – News from Singapore, Asia and around the world

18 diagnosed with tuberculosis after prolonged exposure at S’pore Pools Bedok Betting Centre – Mothership.SG – News from Singapore, Asia and around the world

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been notified of two genetically separate clusters involving a total of 18 individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis who had prolonged exposure at the Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre.

The cases had immediately started treatment following diagnosis and are not a current ongoing public health risk.

As a precautionary measure, officers from the Singapore TB Elimination Programme (STEP) will be contacting patrons who have visited Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre between February 12 and March 25, 2020 for TB screening.

The risk of transmission to persons who are not close contacts is very low.

No common links other than the betting centre

Investigations into the cases did not reveal any common links, other than that they had all frequently visited the Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre over a period ranging from months to years and spent prolonged durations at the centre watching live horse-racing telecasts.

The cases did not know each other, and had not identified each other as close contacts.

Precautionary screening

As a precautionary measure, officers from the Singapore TB Elimination Programme (STEP) will be contacting patrons who have visited Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre between February 12 and March 25, 2020 for TB screening.

Screening is free of charge, at the Tuberculosis Control Unit (TBCU) (142 Moulmein Road).

Voluntary screening will also be offered to former patrons who had spent prolonged durations (i.e. cumulatively days) at the Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre to watch live horse-racing telecasts between 2018 and March 25, 2020.

Patrons who wish to be screened may call the TBCU hotline at 6258 4430.

While screening is not compulsory, MOH strongly encourages these individuals to be screened. Those with positive screening results will be offered appropriate advice and follow-up.

Those with active TB will be treated immediately while those with latent non-infectious TB will be monitored and treated if necessary.

In line with MOH’s TB prevention strategy, officers from STEP had earlier initiated contact investigations upon notification of each of the cases. Close contacts of all the 18 cases had already been identified and contacted by STEP for screening.

Identification of TB clusters

The two clusters were determined by genetic sequencing and epidemiological investigations which concluded in January 2021, as part of retrospective testing of TB cases to determine linkages.

The 18 cases were diagnosed between February 2015 and October 2020. The link among five cases diagnosed between July 2018 and February 2020 was established and MOH was notified of the cluster on 28 July 2020.

The 13 cases in the second cluster, who were diagnosed between February 2015 and October 2020, were notified to MOH between December 1, 2020 and January 11, 2021.

TB is typically spread through close and prolonged contact with an infectious individual, and not by contact with items or surfaces touched by a person with TB.

Back in Oct. 2020, a TB cluster was detected in an apartment block in Hougang.

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Top photo from Ivan Lam / Google Maps.