Carlo Urbani (; 19 October 1956 – 29 March 2003) was an Italian physician and
microbiologist
A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...
and the first to identify
severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the sy ...
(SARS) as probably a new and dangerously contagious
viral disease
A viral disease (or viral infection) occurs when an organism's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, and infectious virus particles (virions) attach to and enter susceptible cells.
Examples include the common cold, gastroenteritis, COVID-19, ...
,
and his early warning to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO) triggered a swift and global response credited with saving numerous lives. Shortly afterwards, he himself became infected and died.
Medical career
Urbani graduated with a
medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
in 1981 from the
University of Ancona
Marche Polytechnic University or Polytechnic University of the Marches (Italian ''Università Politecnica delle Marche'') is a public university in Ancona, Italy. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Agriculture, Engineering, Economi ...
and specialized in infectious and
tropical diseases
Tropical diseases are diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropical and subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, which controls the insect population by for ...
from the
University of Messina
The University of Messina (; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world's first Jesuit college, and today it ...
. He subsequently earned a postgraduate degree in tropical
parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...
.
Urbani started volunteering for the African endemic disease cause since young joining the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
Mani Tese. In 1987 Urbani went to Ethiopia for one month. In 1989 he was primary aide in the infectious diseases department of Macerata, Italy. After years working in the
epidemic medicine field, in 1993 he became an external consultant of the World Health Organization.
In 1996, he joined
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF; pronounced ), known in some English-speaking settings as Doctors Without Borders, is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of French origin known for its projects in conflict zo ...
(MSF) and moved with his family to
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
for a year. Upon his return to his workplace in Macerata, he became president of the Italian section of MSF. He also helped launch a campaign against multinational pharmaceutical companies that keep up the price of indispensable medicines against
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
,
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. In 1999 he was part of the delegation that received the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
awarded to MSF.
With the prize money, Urbani decided to create a fund to promote an international campaign for access to essential medicines for the world's poorest populations.
SARS outbreak
Back in Asia,
Urbani was called into
The French Hospital of Hanoi,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, in late February 2003 to look at an American patient, businessman Johnny Chen, who had fallen ill with what doctors thought was a bad case of
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
. Urbani realized that Chen's ailment was probably a new and highly contagious disease. He immediately notified the WHO, triggering a response to the epidemic (principally
isolation and
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
measures) that ended it within five months.
He also persuaded the
Vietnamese Health Ministry to begin isolating patients and screening travelers, thus slowing the early pace of the epidemic.
On 11 March 2003, as he flew from
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
to a conference in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, where he was to talk on the subject of childhood parasites, Urbani started feeling
fever
Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
ish. A colleague who met him at the airport called an ambulance. Urbani had contracted SARS while treating infected patients in Hanoi. His Bangkok hospital room became an improvised
isolation ward
In hospitals and other medical facilities, an isolation ward is a separate ward used to isolate patients with infectious diseases. Several wards for individual patients are usually placed together in an isolation unit.
Design
In an isolation u ...
, and communication occurred via an
intercom
An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building, small collection of buildings or portably within a small coverage area, which funct ...
. As his lungs weakened, he was put on a
ventilator
A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...
. During a moment of consciousness, Urbani asked for a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
to give him
last rites
The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...
and asked for his lung tissue to be donated for scientific research. Urbani died on 29 March 2003, after 18 days of
intensive care
Intensive care medicine, usually called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes p ...
.
SARS-CoV Urbani strain later became the reference variant of this outbreak.
Personal life
Urbani married Giuliana Chiorrini in 1983, and in 1987 their first child, Tommaso, was born.
He had two more children.
Honours
National honours
:

''
Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia'' 3rd Class / Knight: 28 May 2020
:

''
Medaglia d'oro per i benemeriti della Sanità Pubblica'': 7 April 2003
Foreign honours
*
Friendship Order
The Friendship Order () is a service award conferred by the Government of Vietnam for "foreigners and on collectives of foreigners who have made great contributions to building, consolidating and developing the friendship between Vietnam and other ...
: 7 April 2003
*
Labor Order
The Labor Order () is an award conferred or posthumously conferred by the Government of Vietnam on individuals and conferred on collectives that have recorded outstanding achievements in labor, creativity or national construction. There are thre ...
: 12 May 2003
See also
*
Li Wenliang
Li Wenliang (; 12 October 19857 February 2020) was a Chinese ophthalmologist who warned his colleagues about early COVID-19 infections in Wuhan.
On 30 December 2019, Wuhan Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (Wuhan CDC) issued emerg ...
, was reprimanded for warning colleagues about the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and later died from the virus.
*
Liu Jianlun
Liu (; or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the clas ...
, Chinese doctor who died from the virus
SARS-CoV-1
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1), previously known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), is a strain (biology), strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the ...
, is believed to have been a super-spreader during an event in Hong Kong.
References
*
[On behalf of the Italian association named "Testimoni del tempo". Bibliographic note in ]
External links
Urbani InternationalAssociazione Italiana Carlo Urbani* Lucia Bellaspiga:
Carlo Urbani. Il primo medico contro la SARS', 2004
carlo-urbani-center.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urbani, Carlo
1956 births
2003 deaths
World Health Organization officials
Italian public health doctors
Italian Roman Catholics
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century Roman Catholics
2002–2004 SARS outbreak
Deaths from the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak
People from the Province of Ancona
Infectious disease deaths in Thailand
University of Messina alumni
Italian officials of the United Nations