JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 13 — Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman, Ling Tian Soon, said the recent tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the state, which has affected the Kota Tinggi and Pontian districts, is under control.

He called on the state’s residents to remain calm as the Health Ministry is constantly monitoring the outbreak and taking necessary measures.

“Among the measures taken is contacting the close contacts of patients with TB to undergo health screening.

“The public should not panic as TB is not a new disease and the Health Ministry is more than prepared to manage the outbreak through various methods that includes treatment,” he told reporters after reviewing the community service sentence for those caught littering in Taman Stulang Laut here today.

Ling stressed that it is important that those who contracted TB follow the public health guidelines on quarantine and medications to ensure that they recover.

He explained that even if the TB screening on a patient and their close contacts comes back negative, the Health Ministry will follow up for up to two years to ensure that they are free from infection.

“The ministry has a comprehensive set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tackling TB,” he said.

Ling said TB is not something new as almost every year there are new cases in Johor.

However, he said the Kota Tinggi case had become a public concern as it spread rapidly.

“The health authorities have yet to identify the source of the Kota Tinggi TB cluster,” he said.

To date, the total number of TB positive cases remains at 33 in Kota Tinggi and one in Pontian.

Previously, it was reported that a total of 33 people had contracted TB in Kota Tinggi, in addition to the screening of 804 close contacts. In Pontian, the tally remains at one.