Concern about measles outbreaks spikes as coronavirus slows vaccinations

The Measles & Rubella Initiative this week warned that millions of children might not receive measles vaccinations due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.

The initiative, comprised of groups including the American Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the UN Foundation and the World Health Organization, said that more than 117 million kids in 37 nations might not get the vaccine amid the COVID-19 crisis.

"Measles immunization campaigns in 24 countries have already been delayed; more will be postponed," the group said.

"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 measles vaccines as soon as it becomes possible to do so," the coalition urged.

More than 140,000 people died from the measles in 2018 with most of those deaths among children and babies, according to the groups. All of those deaths as "preventable,"  the groups said.