( CNN ) -- A new SARS-like virus recently found in humans is `` a threat to the entire world , '' according to the director-general of the United Nations ' World Health Organization . The so-called novel coronavirus `` is not a problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by itself , '' Margaret Chan said Monday in her closing remarks at the 66th World Assembly in Geneva , Switzerland . The world needs to pull together its resources to properly tackle the virus which , Chan said , is her `` greatest concern '' at present . `` We understand too little about this virus when viewed against the magnitude of its potential threat , '' she said , and more information is needed `` quickly '' and `` urgently . '' `` We do not know where the virus hides in nature . We do not know how people are getting infected . Until we answer these questions , we are empty-handed when it comes to prevention . These are alarm bells . And we must respond , '' she said . Novel coronavirus is part of a family called coronaviruses , which cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to SARS , or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , as well as a variety of animal diseases . However , the new virus is not SARS . The virus had infected 44 people worldwide as of last week , most of them in the Middle East , according to the World Health Organization 's most recent update Thursday . Half of them have died . Also in its Thursday update , the WHO appeared to have given the novel coronavirus a name : Middle East respiratory symptom coronavirus , or MERS-CoV . A 23rd death was reported Tuesday , when a French hospital and the French government reported a man diagnosed with the coronavirus had died of organ failure . The patient , the first of two people to be diagnosed with novel coronavirus , died at University Hospital of Lille , where he had been treated since May 9 . The man contracted the virus while visiting the Arabian Peninsula , said Marisol Touraine , France 's minister of social affairs and health , in a statement . The second patient , also male , was in stable but very serious condition , the hospital said . One of the patients shared a room with the other and contracted the virus . Joint WHO missions with Saudi Arabia and Tunisia will take place as soon as possible , with the goal of gathering the facts needed to conduct a risk assessment , Chan said Monday . 5 things to know about dangerous , SARS-like virus . Earlier this month , the WHO said two health care workers in Saudi Arabia became ill while treating patients . Novel coronavirus acts like a cold virus and attacks the respiratory system , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said . But symptoms , which include fever and a cough , are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure . Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea have also been seen , according to the WHO . It 's not yet known how humans contract the virus , experts have said . Most of the cases so far have been seen in older men with other medical conditions ; precise numbers are hard to come by , as officials do n't know how many people might contract a mild form . Cases have been identified in eight countries including France and Saudi Arabia , according to the WHO . Other European countries include Germany and the United Kingdom . No cases have been reported in the United States , but infectious disease experts have said it would not be surprising . New SARS-like virus poses medical mystery . Journalist Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report .
WHO : ` ` These are alarm ##s , '' says World Health Organization director - general . NEW : The WHO dubs the virus MERS - CoV . Patient with novel coronavirus dies of organ failure , French hospital reports . Most of those infected with the virus have died , experts say .