SINGAPORE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Singapore recorded 1,156 new cases of active tuberculosis in 2024, with an incidence rate of 27.6 cases per 100,000 residents, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday, ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on Monday.

The new cases represent a slight decline from the 1,201 cases reported in 2023, which had an incidence rate of 28.9 cases per 100,000. The annual number of new cases has decreased from a peak of 1,617 in 2016 in the past decade, according to ministry data.

Older age groups and males continue to account for a significant portion of new active cases. Among the 1,156 new cases in 2024, 77.9 percent were aged 50 and above, while 67.5 percent were male.

Tuberculosis is endemic in Singapore, and latent tuberculosis infection is not uncommon, with rates of up to 30 percent in the older age groups, the ministry said, noting that individuals with latent tuberculosis infection carry the bacteria but are not infectious as the bacteria remain inactive. Enditem

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