Singapore authorities announced on Monday that the seizure of e-vaporisers worth about $150,000 was intended for sale in the country.

The Health Sciences Authority and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said the e-vaporisers were seized in two separate operations.

On February 28, the HSA uncovered around 5,000 e-vaporisers at a warehouse in Sungei Kadut, located in northern Singapore, and arrested two men, aged 32 and 31.

In a second operation on March 1, ICA officers at the Tuas Checkpoint flagged a lorry entering Singapore for enhanced checks, finding approximately 4,800 e-vaporisers.

The 24-year-old male driver of the lorry is currently assisting with the investigation.

Singapore has implemented a strict ban on the importation, sale, distribution, possession, use, and purchase of e-cigarettes, vaporizers, and other imitation tobacco products to protect public health.

Meanwhile, the health ministry has announced that the country recorded 1,156 new cases of active tuberculosis in 2024, with an incidence rate of 27.6 cases per 100,000 residents.

The ministry announced on Sunday, ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on Monday.

According to ministry data, the new cases represent a slight decline from the 1,201 cases reported in 2023, with 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.

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 per cent were aged 50 and above, while 67.5 per cent were male.

The ministry said tuberculosis is endemic in Singapore, and latent tuberculosis infection is not uncommon, with rates of up to 30 per cent in the older age groups.

It noted that individuals with latent tuberculosis infection carry the bacteria but are not infectious as the bacteria remain inactive.

(Xinhua/NAN)