Why is there still tuberculosis in Malaysia ?

Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad sounded the alarm on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, revealing the detection of ten new tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks across seven states since last Saturday, highlighting a worrying resurgence of this infectious disease.

The state of Johor is the hardest hit, with 37 cases identified, including a particularly critical outbreak involving 29 children and eight adults. The index case is reportedly a 72-year-old religious teacher in Kota Tinggi.

This situation was exacerbated by the detection of another case in a schoolchild in Pontian, information confirmed by local health authorities and Aznan Tamin, chairman of the Johor Education Committee, illustrating the vulnerability of schools to this bacterium.

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is an airborne disease that primarily attacks the lungs but can damage almost any organ if left untreated, sometimes leading to irreversible lung damage.

Faced with this threat, the Ministry of Health has deployed a protocol for active testing and mass contact tracing.

The Minister stated before Parliament that 903 close contacts had already been identified and examined as of February 7th.

Individuals exhibiting symptoms were immediately taken to public facilities. Authorities reiterated that while not everyone exposed will necessarily develop the illness, vigilance remains essential to break the chain of transmission.

This outbreak underscores the crucial importance of vaccination and rapid diagnosis in a region where population density facilitates the spread of respiratory infections.