Three in Italy sick with MERS-CoV, or SARS-like virus

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 2 (UPI) -- Three people in Italy are sick with a SARS-like virus -- newly named MERS-CoV -- officials at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, reported.

Coronaviruses cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, as well as a variety of animal diseases. However, the new virus is not SARS.

Of the 53 people confirmed to have been infected with the virus, 30 died since last September. The total number of those infected is unknown because it is difficult to tell how many get a mild form of the infection, CNN reported.

A 45-year-old man in Italy, who had recently traveled to Jordan, was reported infected Saturday, and Sunday, a 42-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl who were in close contact with the man also reported being sick with the virus, WHO officials said. All three patients in Italy were in stable condition, WHO said.