CDA to conduct free TB screenings for tenants, workers and members of public around Bedok Central

Tuberculosis (TB) screenings will be mandatory for some tenants and workers in Bedok, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) announced on Thursday (April 30).

The mandatory screenings apply only for tenants and workers of Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market as well as Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre, and will be available from May 4 to 7.

Voluntary screening will also be available for members of the public who may have visited these locations for long periods of time, CDA stated.

Both voluntary and mandatory screenings as well as any further treatment stemming from these screenings are free of charge.

According to the agency's epidemiological investigations and analysis, there were 13 cases with genetic similarities across three clusters in Bedok Central between January 2023 and February 2026.

Following diagnosis, all cases were treated immediately and are no longer infectious.

Treatment for seven of the 13 has been completed, while five among the remaining six are still undergoing treatment.

One has since died of separate causes not linked to TB, the agency said.

Several cases were not close contacts of earlier confirmed cases but had overlapping activity patterns at the three aforementioned locations over a period of time.

"These findings suggest possible TB exposure at the three locations through repeated visits or prolonged exposure," CDA explained.

CDA chief executive officer Vernon Lee added that the transmission of TB can take weeks to months.

"A person who acquires TB typically gets what we call latent TB infection (LTBI) where there's no symptoms, the person's not infectious," Dr Lee said.

The disease can then become active and the patient will display symptoms - that's when the case is detected, he said.

"So from exposure to when the person becomes a case may take years, and therefore it takes a long time for these cases to be identified."

@asiaone The three locations are: Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market and Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre. #sgnews #Singapore #Health #Community #Tuberculosis ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Voluntary screenings for the public

Aside from the tenants and workers who frequent the area, the agency will be providing voluntary screenings to members of the public who have visited the locations extensively.

The members of public need to have spent 96 hours in a year at the affected locations beginning January 2023, CDA elaborated.

They can go to the onsite screening that will be conducted at the Atrium of Heartbeat@Bedok from May 4 to 7 for a blood test to detect TB.

The Sata Commhealth Bedok Clinic will also offer testing at its Bedok Clinic on May 2 from 8.30am to 3pm.

Should their blood test positive for indicators of TB, patients will be contacted by CDA to arrange a chest x-ray appointment — which will also be available onsite at Heartbeat@Bedok come May 14 and 15.

A positive blood test but normal chest X-ray results indicate the person has a latent TB infection (LTBI), which means that they do not exhibit symptoms of TB and are not infectious, the agency said.

Those with LTBI will be offered preventive treatment to reduce the risk of developing active TB disease in the future.

If found to have an abnormal chest x-ray, patients will be further evaluated at the National Tuberculosis Care Centre and treatment will be provided if active TB disease is diagnosed.

Contact tracing will also be conducted to identify other close contacts that might have to be screened, according to CDA.

For onsite screenings at Heartbeat@Bedok, it is required that individuals register and make an appointment.

Those unable to attend the onsite screening may make alternative appointments at Sata CommHealth Bedok Clinic or the National Tuberculosis Screening Centre from May 4 to June 5.

CDA reported 1,019 new cases of active TB disease among Singapore residents in 2025, which was a drop from the 1,156 cases recorded in 2024.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com