The Health Ministry of Jordan on Sunday reported a new case of human infection with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus.

The 56-year-old male is also suffering from pressure, diabetes and kidney failure, a well-place official with the ministry said.

The number of people infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus in Jordan increased to 17 since the outbreak of the virus in 2012, said the ministry's Director of Communicable Diseases, Mohammad al Abdullat.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus emerged in the Middle East in 2012 and is from the same family as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, which killed around 800 people worldwide after first appearing in China in 2002.
MERS can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia.

Although the worldwide number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus infections is relatively small, the more than 40 percent death rate among confirmed cases and the spread of the virus beyond the Middle East is keeping scientists and public health officials on alert.