He was the first French patient to die from the condition, which is known as Middle East Respiratory Symptom Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV. As of Wednesday, 49 people have been infected with the virus since September; of those, 27 have died.

The French man, who remains unidentified, was hospitalized in Lille last month, after returning from a vacation in Dubai, where it is believed he was infected. Another patient in France was in stable but very serious condition.

"It is not a problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by itself," she said. "We do not know where the virus hides in nature. We do not know how people are getting infected. Until we answer these