As of last Wednesday, the 4th of February, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced the formation of a Tuberculosis (TB) cluster in Kota Tinggi, Johor Bahru, with 33 positive cases found following screening of 804 close contacts.
Johor’s State Health Department (JKNJ) first identified the outbreak on 25th January 2026.
MOH teams have been sent out and are acting quickly to stop the outbreak’s spread, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.
In an X post, he stated, “The MOH is closely monitoring all patients who tested positive and they have all received treatment.”
Although TB has always existed in Malaysia, official reports show that the incidence rate steadily increased after 2011.
Dzulkefly acknowledged that there had been one fatality in the cluster, but he affirmed that the cause had nothing to do with TB infection, adding that in order to protect the safety of the neighbourhood, the MOH is still on high alert and would continue its aggressive case detection efforts.
The Health Minister also encouraged locals to get screened for health issues as soon as possible if they are exhibiting symptoms like fever, night sweats, or a persistent cough.
TB can be prevented and completely cured with effective treatment which should last at least six months. However, because it primarily targets the lungs and destroys lung tissue, which eventually results in respiratory failure, it can be hazardous if left untreated. Additionally, it might spread to other body organs like the kidneys, liver, heart muscles, genitalia, bones, skin, fluid around the brain and spinal cord, and more.
