The Gavi vaccine alliance has reached an agreement with Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic to obtain 500,000 doses of mpox vaccine for African countries dealing with an outbreak of the virus.

The Gavi alliancee announced on Wednesday that the World Health Organization had prequalified the MVA-BN mpox vaccine for the first time last week. This development clears the way for the United Nations and other international organizations to purchase the vaccine.

In a separate announcement, the Global Fund, established in 2002 to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, pledged more than $9 million to support the mpox response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently at the center of the epidemic.

Gavi also announced that it would provide vaccine doses by the end of the year, funded through itsFirst Response Fund,which was launched in June to facilitate quick access to cash for vaccines during health emergencies.

Gavi's chief Sania Nishtar said in a statement: "We are committed to working with affected governments and our partners to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible".

Mpox, formerly referred to as monkeypox, is caused by a virus that can be transmitted to humans from infected animals, as well as spread between humans through close physical contact.

The disease leads to symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions, and it can be fatal in some cases.

A single case has been detected in both Sweden and Thailand.