Authorities have imposed a 12-day smart lockdown in the Ghundi Pump House locality of Jamrud, Khyber district, following the confirmation of a monkeypox case, marking the ninth case reported in the province.
According to a statement from Deputy Commissioner Khyber, Capt (retd) Bilal Shahid Rao, the lockdown aims to prevent the potential spread of the virus.
The measure was enforced after health officials confirmed a case in Mohalla Pump House, prompting immediate containment efforts.
During the lockdown, all entry and exit points to the affected locality will remain sealed.
However, essential services — including grocery shops, pharmacies, general stores, tandoors, and emergency services — will be allowed to operate under standard safety protocols.
The Deputy Commissioner's Office, through its Media Cell, confirmed that directives have been issued to the Assistant Commissioner Jamrud and the local police for strict enforcement.
Authorities have warned that legal action will be taken against any violations of the lockdown order.
It may be recalled that last month, the Public Health Section of the Health Department confirmed the 8th case of mpox in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the department, a 31-year-old male was screened at Peshawar Airport while departing for Dubai.
Upon suspicion, his samples were sent to the Public Health Reference Lab at Khyber Medical University (KMU), where the presence of the mpox virus was confirmed.
The patient reportedly arrived in Pakistan on April 16. Following the confirmation, the Health Department had issued an official directive to the District Health Officer (DHO) Khyber for immediate surveillance and contact tracing. The patient had been shifted to the isolation ward at Police Services Hospital, Peshawar, to prevent further transmission.
The K-P Health Department urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected symptoms promptly.
In March it appeared that the case of a woman who had tested positive for mpox in Dogra, Khyber district, could not be classified as local transmission.
Health Department confirmed that the case was due to transmission of the virus from abroad rather than community transmission.
According to Health Department, the woman was hospitalized on February 18 with complaints of fever and body pain, after which the affected case was reported.
Initially, the case of mpox infected woman was being taken as the first local case in the province by the authorities, causing alarm and widespread confusion.
However, the woman, along with her six children, in-laws, and two cousins, were screened for mpox. Meanwhile, the woman was isolated for 21 days as a precautionary measure.
Sources stated that it was now being reported that no active surveillance was reported in the case. The affected woman's husband had recently returned from a Gulf country. However, during screening, the husband did not show any symptoms.
Later, however, he was confirmed to be infected. The affected woman had also contracted the disease from her freshly returned husband.
Health Department further reported that two individuals from Peshawar were recently confirmed positive for mpox.
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