Grazie mille. I would have loved to speak in Italian, but my Italian is poor. But I will say a few words:
L’eroe di Castelplanio; l’eroe d’Italia; l’eroe del mondo: Carlo Urbani.
Carlo Urbani is not just a hero of Castelplanio; you have contributed to the world, and you should be proud of him.
Thank you very much for contributing a hero, the son of Castelplanio, to the world.
It is an honour to join you today to celebrate Dr Carlo Urbani's work and life.
It was a little over twenty years ago today that Dr Carlo Urbani, who was an expert on vector-borne diseases for WHO in Viet Nam, received a call from the French Hospital in Hanoi.
He was asked to assist in investigating what was then thought to be a severe case of flu.
Dr Urbani immediately recognized the potential threat. After examining the patient, he realised this was not flu. It was a highly transmissible, lethal, and at-the-time unknown respiratory infection.
He had identified what came to be known as SARS.
Dr Urbani immediately alerted WHO headquarters in Geneva.
Recognizing that this new disease was highly contagious, Dr Urbani spent days at the hospital, coordinating infection prevention and control procedures, quarantine interventions and maintaining the morale of hospital staff.
His firm belief was that a doctor’s duty is to – quote – “stay close to the victims”.
He told his wife, Giuliana: ''If I can't work in such situations, what am I here for? Answering emails, going to cocktail parties and pushing paper?''
That was Carlo Urbani: a doctor; a husband; a father; a humanitarian, as Mayor Badiali reminded us.
The measures he implemented in Hanoi were adopted across Viet Nam and, with WHO coordination, extended to neighbouring countries, which helped to slow the pace of the epidemic in its early stages.
Dr Urbani's prompt action helped stop the outbreak in Viet Nam, and save countless lives around the world.
On the 5th of July 2003, less than five months later, WHO was able to declare that SARS had been contained.
But for his selfless dedication, Dr Urbani paid the ultimate price.
In early March, during a flight to Bangkok to attend a conference on deworming schoolchildren, Dr Urbani developed symptoms of SARS. He died on the 29th of March 2003 at the age of only forty-six.
He left behind his wife and their three children.
Dr Urbani is a true public health hero. His work significantly changed the way countries would deal with infectious diseases, especially those with pandemic potential.
His colleagues remember him as a mentor and a friend, more of a “big brother” than a boss, and an inspiring co-worker who would go out of his way to help people.
They say that if SARS had not taken him prematurely, he would have preferred to spend his retirement going to the world’s poorest communities to continue improving health and saving lives.
His selfless dedication during the height of the SARS epidemic did not come as a surprise to his colleagues in the WHO office in Viet Nam, where the “Dr Carlo Urbani spirit” remains strong.
Dr Urbani lost his life the way he spent it: working to protect others from infectious diseases.
It was a passion that began less than an hour from Castelplanio, as a medical student at the University of Ancona, and then at the Macerata Hospital.
In 1993, WHO’s co-ordinator of parasitic diseases and vector control, Dr Lorenzo Savioli, invited Dr Urbani on a mission to research the epidemiology of hookworms in the Maldives.
After proving his skill and dedication, he was then sent on a series of WHO missions to control helminths, or parasitic worms, and became the first person to report the transmission of Schistosoma mansoni in Mauretania.
He later joined Médecins Sans Frontières, working in Cambodia, and was part of the team that received the Nobel peace prize on behalf of MSF in 1999.
I first heard about Dr Urbani five years ago, shortly after I started as Director-General, when Tommaso wrote to me, inviting me to attend an event commemorating the 15th anniversary of his father’s passing.
I was immediately struck by the significance of Dr Urbani’s story and legacy.
At the opening of the World Health Assembly in 2018, we were honoured to invite the Urbani family to recognise Dr Urbani posthumously and unveil a commemorative plaque, which has been on display at our headquarters in Geneva.
We have brought the plaque with us – you will see it later – and we have decided to donate it to the museum. However, we are having a replica made to replace it, so our staff can be reminded every day of Dr Carlo Urbani’s service and sacrifice.
The plaque says that Carlo Urbani “acted in the finest tradition of the World Health Organization, and set an inspiring example to all those who seek to serve humanity as public health professionals”.
Dr Urbani represents the ideals of public service. His early and impassioned warnings about SARS saved countless lives.
He was also a strong advocate for both research and development and for increased access to essential medicines and diagnostics for tuberculosis, HIV and malaria in developing countries.
WHO recognises and remembers Dr Urbani's sacrifice, with the gratitude and respect for the courage and commitment of all public health workers who risk their own lives for the good of our world.
Sadly, Dr Urbani is not the only member of the WHO family to lose their life in the service of others.
There is no more rewarding job than serving humanity. And sometimes, there is no more costly job.
Dr Carlo Urbani’s sacrifice will not be forgotten. This museum will stand as a powerful testament to his life and legacy, which endures in the spirit and mission of the organization he served: to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
Grazie mille. I thank you.