More than 117 million children could miss out on immunisation against measles as the Covid-19 pandemic forces social distancing and piles pressure on health services, Reuters reported.

Measles immunisation campaigns in 24 countries have already been delayed, and more will be postponed, potentially putting children in 37 countries at risk, according to the Measles and Rubella Initiative.

“If the difficult choice to pause vaccination is made due to the spread of Covid-19, we urge leaders to intensify efforts to track unvaccinated children, so that the most vulnerable populations can be provided with vaccines as soon as it becomes possible to do so,” the group said in a statement.