The number of children diagnosed with polio in Yemen has risen to 426, the Arab state said yesterday - the day before the start of its fourth nationwide immunisation campaign.

Yemen, which last reported polio in 1996, is one of about 17 countries declared free of the disease which have reported its reappearance in the past two years.

Health Minister Mohamed Yehia al-Noami told Reuters a campaign to immunise more than 3.7 million children under the age of five would begin today. The Arab state, with a population of 19 million, is expected to launch another vaccination campaign in September.

Noami said Yemen had adopted protective measures at border points to prevent the disease spreading from passengers coming from other countries affected by polio.

The disease, which mainly affects children under the age of five, causes irreversible paralysis. Low immunisation rates among children in Yemen have helped the virus spread, according to the World Health Organisation.

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