The coronavirus is the pathogen that causes Sars, which killed hundreds a decade ago

Italy has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a new and deadly respiratory virus that has alarmed world health officials.

The patient is a 45-year-old man who had recently returned from a 40-day trip to Jordan. The Italian health ministry said he was in good condition and being treated at a hospital in Tuscany.

The virus is related to Sars, which killed about 800 people in 2003, and the UN has been informed of 51 confirmed cases across eight countries since September. Of those, 30 were fatal, including a French man who died earlier this week.

Cases have also been reported in Britain and German and most of those infected have travelled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Pakistan.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned