At least three more people have died from a new and deadly respiratory virus similar to SARS. Saudi Arabia reports the recent deaths bringing a total of 24 people dead due to MERS coronavirus.

Officials from the Ministry of Health said that three deaths came from 38 cases afflicted with the disease. The Ministry also said two out of three patients who died last Sunday were ailing had chronic diseases.

Before the recent death report of Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization (WHO) also received reports about 51 confirmed cases of the new respiratory virus September of last year. At least 30 of those cases resulted in death.

MERS coronavirus almost has the same symptoms as SARS which caused widespread panic when it became a global pandemic in 2003. MERS is classified as part of the virus family that triggers the common cold.

In Italy, one patient is currently undergoing treatment. The 45-year old patient came from a trip to Jordan where he stayed for 45 days. He was brought to Tuscany for hospitalization. His symptoms include cough, high fever and other respiratory problems. It was Italy's first case of MERS coronavirus.

Regional officials in Tuscany said that the child related to the patient including one co-worker were also afflicted with the disease. All the patients currently receive treatment in isolation to avoid contamination with other patients in the hospital.

Cases of MERS coronavirus have been reported in Germany and Britain. A Frenchman was reported dead last week due to the disease. Patients who were infected mostly travelled to Pakistan, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

MERS stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome corona virus. Dr. Ali Mohamed Zaki, a virologist from Egypt, reported the first case of the virus in September 2012. Research from SARS can be used to develop vaccines and treatments for disease prevention.