Tuberculosis

Childhood BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccination is part of childhood vaccination in Singapore. BCG vaccination when administered during childhood is effective for the prevention of disseminated tuberculosis and tuberculosis meningitis in children. BCG vaccination only provides partial protection. You can still develop tuberculosis even if you have previously received the BCG vaccination in childhood.

For public health considerations, only those with active tuberculosis in the lungs/airways can spread it in the community through their respiratory secretions. When a person with active tuberculosis in the lungs/airways coughs, the microbe, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can be aerosolized and therefore be passed to other individuals around them. It is therefore very important for patients who have tuberculosis in the lungs/airways to be identified, diagnosed and treated early to prevent the spread of this infection in the community.