SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Thursday it has confirmed three cases of a respiratory virus that has mostly been centered in Saudi Arabia.

A 76-year-old man was diagnosed Thursday with contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The patient shared a hospital room with a man who was South Korea’s first confirmed case of MERS, agency chief Yang Byung-Guk told reporters.

Health officials say the first confirmed patient had visited Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. That man’s wife also contracted the disease.

All three are being treated in hospitals.

MERS was discovered in 2012. It belongs to the family of coronaviruses that includes the common cold and SARS, and can cause fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. The virus is thought to be primarily acquired through contact with camels.

South Korean health officials said the virus has so far had about 40 percent of fatality rate.