The European Union said on Thursday it had secured supply of up to 2 million doses of a monkeypox vaccine from Danish company Bavarian Nordic for the next two years.
The joint procurement will allow 14 countries, including EU member states, western Balkan countries and those in the European Economic Area to purchase the vaccine.
About 700,000 doses are expected to be delivered in 2023.
Around 80,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in about 100 countries since the outbreak started earlier this year.
World Health Organization continues to classify the disease as a public health emergency of international concern, which is its highest level of alert.
(Reporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
