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TB was eradicated in SG till the FAP decides to open the floodgate to replace SGs with foreigners. From 3rd to 1st back too 3rd world with 60% undetered supporters. Uniquely SG!
Don't ignore TB in foreigners: experts
By Woo Sian Boon, TODAY | Posted: 01 May 2012 0647 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Even as the Ministry of Health (MOH) reviews its tuberculosis (TB) elimination programme, two experts here have called on policymakers to first acknowledge and address TB in foreigners and its impact on the local population.
Writing in last month's edition of the Singapore Medical Journal, Dr Cynthia Chee and Dr Wang Yee Tang, who are both from the TB Control Unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), said: "It is clear that TB control in Singapore is now at a crossroad, and that additional measures and resources are critically needed in our battle against this disease of global public health importance. Pivotal to this is to acknowledge and address TB in foreigners and its impact on the local population."
They added: "In today's highly interconnected world, it must be recognised that 'TB anywhere is TB everywhere', and that policies that ignore this reality are self-defeating in the long-run."
To address the resurgence of TB, Dr Chee and Dr Wang argued that medical evaluation should be made "as affordable as possible, regardless of residency status".
Outpatient insurance coverage for TB should be mandated for all foreigners residing here, while the authorities should allow the use of Medisave funds to cover outpatient expenses, they added.
Also, foreigners with TB who live and work here should be treated under the national TB programme, which involves direct supervision of patients to ensure they take their medication.
"A repatriation policy has not only potentially devastating consequences for the patient, but would also not serve the greater good of the global community, including our own," they said.
They noted that between 2004 and 2010, the population increased almost 22 per cent to 5.08 million, following a "liberalised immigration policy and rapid economic growth after 2005".
During that period, there was a 46-per-cent spike in the total number of new TB cases notified in Singapore - with the proportion of foreigners increasing from 29 per cent to 47 per cent of the total case burden, they pointed out.
Control Programme Comprehensive: MOH
Dr Chee and Dr Wang said that over the last five years, between 40 and 50 per cent of the total number of foreigners notified with TB were short-term pass holders. They were mainly pass applicants and medical tourists, according to the two experts.
They added: "Although it is assumed that these persons do not stay for long in the country, their potential to spread TB to the community should not be underestimated."
Given the rising number of foreigners who developed TB after being granted long-term stay, they also urged the authorities to conduct more comprehensive screening on foreigners, beyond chest X-rays.
In November last year, MOH called a press conference to correct a "misleading" press report that "a lot of our TB problems are from the foreigners".
Dr Jeffery Cutter, director of MOH's Communicable Diseases Division, also noted then that it is "not so easy to get infected" with TB - there has to be "prolonged close contact" with a person with TB.
In response to Today's queries, an MOH spokesperson said that in 2010, the TB incidence rate among Singapore residents was 39.2 per 100,000, while that in non-residents was 42.1.
She added: "Non-residents accounted for 27 per cent of TB cases reported in 2010, hence the majority of cases were contributed by Singapore residents."
She reiterated that the Republic "has a comprehensive TB Control Programme, which includes the early detection of TB cases, treatment of infectious TB cases, and prevention through the treatment of infected contacts".
The MOH is reviewing the national elimination programme - which was started in 1997 - in consultation with the TB Control Unit at TTSH, the spokesperson said.
She added: "Enhanced measures to detect and treat TB, as well as additional measures to prevent community transmission, are being explored.
"These measures will target each of the above contributory factors to strengthen the overall control of TB in Singapore."
- TODAY <!-- Zone Tag : Channel News Asia In Text <script type="text/javascript"> innity_pub = "66368270ffd51418ec58bd793f2d9b1b"; innity_zone = "12251"; innity_width = "**"; innity_height = "**"; innity_country = "SG"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.innity.com/network.js"></script>-->
Don't ignore TB in foreigners: experts
By Woo Sian Boon, TODAY | Posted: 01 May 2012 0647 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Even as the Ministry of Health (MOH) reviews its tuberculosis (TB) elimination programme, two experts here have called on policymakers to first acknowledge and address TB in foreigners and its impact on the local population.
Writing in last month's edition of the Singapore Medical Journal, Dr Cynthia Chee and Dr Wang Yee Tang, who are both from the TB Control Unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), said: "It is clear that TB control in Singapore is now at a crossroad, and that additional measures and resources are critically needed in our battle against this disease of global public health importance. Pivotal to this is to acknowledge and address TB in foreigners and its impact on the local population."
They added: "In today's highly interconnected world, it must be recognised that 'TB anywhere is TB everywhere', and that policies that ignore this reality are self-defeating in the long-run."
To address the resurgence of TB, Dr Chee and Dr Wang argued that medical evaluation should be made "as affordable as possible, regardless of residency status".
Outpatient insurance coverage for TB should be mandated for all foreigners residing here, while the authorities should allow the use of Medisave funds to cover outpatient expenses, they added.
Also, foreigners with TB who live and work here should be treated under the national TB programme, which involves direct supervision of patients to ensure they take their medication.
"A repatriation policy has not only potentially devastating consequences for the patient, but would also not serve the greater good of the global community, including our own," they said.
They noted that between 2004 and 2010, the population increased almost 22 per cent to 5.08 million, following a "liberalised immigration policy and rapid economic growth after 2005".
During that period, there was a 46-per-cent spike in the total number of new TB cases notified in Singapore - with the proportion of foreigners increasing from 29 per cent to 47 per cent of the total case burden, they pointed out.
Control Programme Comprehensive: MOH
Dr Chee and Dr Wang said that over the last five years, between 40 and 50 per cent of the total number of foreigners notified with TB were short-term pass holders. They were mainly pass applicants and medical tourists, according to the two experts.
They added: "Although it is assumed that these persons do not stay for long in the country, their potential to spread TB to the community should not be underestimated."
Given the rising number of foreigners who developed TB after being granted long-term stay, they also urged the authorities to conduct more comprehensive screening on foreigners, beyond chest X-rays.
In November last year, MOH called a press conference to correct a "misleading" press report that "a lot of our TB problems are from the foreigners".
Dr Jeffery Cutter, director of MOH's Communicable Diseases Division, also noted then that it is "not so easy to get infected" with TB - there has to be "prolonged close contact" with a person with TB.
In response to Today's queries, an MOH spokesperson said that in 2010, the TB incidence rate among Singapore residents was 39.2 per 100,000, while that in non-residents was 42.1.
She added: "Non-residents accounted for 27 per cent of TB cases reported in 2010, hence the majority of cases were contributed by Singapore residents."
She reiterated that the Republic "has a comprehensive TB Control Programme, which includes the early detection of TB cases, treatment of infectious TB cases, and prevention through the treatment of infected contacts".
The MOH is reviewing the national elimination programme - which was started in 1997 - in consultation with the TB Control Unit at TTSH, the spokesperson said.
She added: "Enhanced measures to detect and treat TB, as well as additional measures to prevent community transmission, are being explored.
"These measures will target each of the above contributory factors to strengthen the overall control of TB in Singapore."
- TODAY <!-- Zone Tag : Channel News Asia In Text <script type="text/javascript"> innity_pub = "66368270ffd51418ec58bd793f2d9b1b"; innity_zone = "12251"; innity_width = "**"; innity_height = "**"; innity_country = "SG"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.innity.com/network.js"></script>-->
