The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it will urgently introduce an additional 20,000 doses of the vaccine Jynneos, manufactured by Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic, to provide a stable, long-term response to the mpox outbreak.

The new batch of vaccines was produced in November last year and has an expiration date of Nov. 30, 2031.

In August 2022, the government introduced 10,000 doses of Jynneos after the first domestic case of mpox appeared in June.

Health authorities have been using mpox vaccines in two ways -- pre-exposure vaccination for doctors and nurses, and post-exposure vaccination for those who have been in contact with confirmed patients.

However, as cases started to increase, health officials expanded the use of the vaccine to include the general public who are at high risk of infection from May this year.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of mpox in Korea has been steadily increasing, mainly among high-risk groups.

Since the first presumptive case of domestic infection was confirmed in April, the KDCA has confirmed 115 cases as of last Thursday.

Korean quarantine authorities have been maintaining the mpox alert level at “caution” due to the continuous domestic outbreak.

Mpox is an acute, febrile, rash illness caused by a viral infection. It is endemic in central and west Africa but has spread to other parts of the world since May last year. Most cases resolve after two to four weeks, with a reported fatality rate of less than 1 percent.

Mpox is typically spread through sexual contact, particularly between men who have sex with men, as well as through contact with skin lesions.