SANAA

No cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded in Yemen, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Sunday.

"Currently, the risk of coronavirus in Yemen is low. There are no identified cases at the moment," WHO said on Twitter.

"However, like other countries, the scale up for preparedness and prevention is ongoing so if a case were confirmed, systems to control and contain would be in place to respond," it said.

Media reports earlier suggested that an infection from the virus had been reported in the capital Sanaa.

On Friday, the WHO said the risk of the new coronavirus in the world outside China had been raised to “very high.”

The health agency noted that China, where 2,791 deaths were reported from the virus, recorded 329 cases over the past 24 hours -- the lowest in more than a month.

Outside China, there are now 4,351 cases in 49 countries with 67 deaths.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict since then, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

* Bassel İbrahim contributed to this report from Ankara