Canada has announced a deal to secure 500K doses of GSK’s (NYSE:GSK) avian influenza vaccine for humans as the country steps up efforts to protect at-risk individuals and bolster its federal stockpile as part of national preparedness.

Following similar deals in countries like the United States and the U.K., Canada is bolstering its stockpile of bird flu vaccines and rolling out new guidance to ensure that the shot reaches those | The Public Health Agency of Canada has leveraged an existing deal with GSK to lock down an initial supply of 500,

The Government of Canada has secured an initial supply of 500,000 doses of GSK's bird flu vaccine to protect individuals most at risk of being exposed to the virus through animals infected with avian influenza.

The company, Zoetis, said this license was granted on the “demonstration of safety, purity, and reasonable expectation of efficacy."

As bird flu cases continue to pop up in humans, Canada announced Wednesday that it purchased 500,000 doses of vaccine targeted at the virus. Here’s what you need to know about bird flu vaccinations in the U.