The sometimes deadly MERS-CoV virus has spread to Italy , the World Health Organization said in statements this weekend . Sunday 's announcement that two female patients had contracted the virus follows one Saturday that said a 45-year-old man , who had recently traveled to Jordan , had become infected . They are the first three known cases in Italy . Middle East respiratory symptom coronavirus , or MERS-CoV , acts like a cold virus and attacks the respiratory system , the U.S.-based 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 . Opinion : Why virus is so scary . Of the 53 known infections with the virus , 30 have resulted in death since September 2012 , the organization said . Precise data are not available on the total number of people who have been infected because it is difficult to tell how many get a mild form of the infection . A patient died May 28 in France after having contracted the virus during a trip to the Middle East . MERS : Your questions answered . The health agency said the three Italian patients were all in stable condition . The two cases reported Sunday were a 42-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl who are close contacts of the man , the WHO said . The virus is `` a threat to the entire world , '' the WHO 's general director said last week . 5 things to know about the coronavirus . It `` 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 . Although many of the cases have occurred on the Arabian Peninsula , people have died of the infection elsewhere , including in four European countries and Tunisia . However , `` all of the European cases have had a direct or indirect connection to the Middle East , '' the WHO said earlier this month . But `` in France and the United Kingdom , there has been limited local transmission among close contacts who had not been to the Middle East but had been in contact with a traveler recently returned from the Middle East . '' Coronaviruses cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to SARS , or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , as well as a variety of animal diseases . Health officials do not yet know much about how the newly discovered virus spreads , which makes it hard for scientists to prevent infections , Chan said . The WHO is calling for the world to pull together its resources to study and tackle the virus . New virus is a 'threat to the entire world '
Of 53 known MERS - 1 cases worldwide , 30 have ended in death . The Italian patients are first in their country to catch the virus . They are cold - like but are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure . The WHO considers the virus ` ` a threat to the entire world ''