Indonesia's Polio Cases Rise to 46, Says Who

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia reported seven new polio infections, bringing to 46 the number of cases since the crippling disease re-emerged in the country last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.

It was the second time in a week the U.N. health agency reported a jump in cases of the disease. All the new cases were found on the western side of Java island.

Officials at the Health Ministry, in charge of containing the disease, were not available for immediate comment.

The outbreak is the first in Indonesia in a decade.

Indonesia inoculated 6.4 million children between May 31 and June 2 in a bid to stamp out the disease, which can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. A second round of immunisation is planned for June 28-29, a WHO statement said.

The first cases were reported in early May near the city of Sukabumi in West Java, 100 km (62 miles) south of Jakarta.