SINGAPORE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Singapore reported 1,019 new cases of active tuberculosis disease among residents in 2025, marking the seventh consecutive year of decline, the Communicable Diseases Agency said on Monday.
The incidence rate fell to 24.2 cases per 100,000 population in 2025, down from 27.6 per 100,000 in 2024, the agency said.
Older adults and men continued to account for a large share of cases. Of the total in 2025, 77.3 percent were aged 50 and above, while 65.6 percent were male.
Tuberculosis remains endemic in Singapore, the agency said, noting that latent tuberculosis infection continues to serve as a reservoir for potential future disease.
People with latent tuberculosis infection carry the bacteria but are not infectious, as the bacteria remain inactive and cause no symptoms. However, the bacteria can reactivate later in life, particularly when the immune system is weakened, leading to active disease.
Up to 20 percent of people aged 70 and above in Singapore have latent tuberculosis infection, the agency added. ■
