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More than 117 million children worldwide could be deprived of measles vaccination within the prescribed timeframe due to a new type of coronavirus pandemic, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Fund noted that measles vaccination is currently delayed in 24 countries due to the pandemic. At the same time, UNICEF stressed the importance of vaccinating children.

According to the World Health Organization, although the proven and effective vaccine has been used for more than 50 years, the number of measles cases has increased in recent years.

"Despite having a safe and effective vaccine for over 50 years, measles cases surged over recent years and claimed more than 140,000 lives in 2018, mostly of children and babies – all of which were preventable."

“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 statement said.