Sir David Nabarro Obituary

Many young group commencement retired wanting to make a difference. Sir David Nabarro, who has died aged 75, was different successful recognising early connected nan powerfulness of synergy. Aged 17, he was nan taxable of a 1967 BBC documentary connected volunteering erstwhile he spent a twelvemonth arsenic organiser of Youth Action, starring a group of 400 volunteers successful York, betwixt leaving Oundle nationalist schoolhouse and going to Oxford University to study medicine. That acquisition – coordinating efforts for maximum effect – presaged a life successful nationalist work spent urging, cajoling and commanding others to activity together.

After stints arsenic a aesculapian serviceman successful Iraq and Nepal, and arsenic a wellness and organization advisor successful Kenya, he joined nan World Health Organization, and subsequently nan UN, starring nan responses to the 2004 Indian water tsunami, nan 2014 Ebola outbreak successful West Africa and nan 2016 cholera outbreak successful Haiti.

But it was arsenic nan WHO’s typical envoy for Covid-19, 1 of six appointed by nan head general, that Nabarro became champion known successful nan UK. He described nan pandemic arsenic a “health situation dissimilar thing we person encountered successful my master experience”. He was early to advocator nan usage of masks and testing, tracing and isolating infected individuals, but courted contention pinch his remarks connected lockdowns – which he said were misquoted. He based on that lockdowns should beryllium utilized arsenic “circuit breakers”, arsenic a reserve measurement to temporarily slow nan dispersed of nan virus, buying clip and allowing nan NHS and akin institutions to reorganise, regroup and rebalance their resources and protect their workers.

In an question and reply pinch BBC Radio 4 successful 2020 he cautioned against a afloat nationalist lockdown, describing it arsenic a “a very utmost regularisation connected economical and societal life” that temporarily “freezes nan microorganism successful place”. He added: “You don’t want to usage those arsenic your primary, and I accent primary, intends of containment. Because successful nan extremity surviving pinch nan microorganism arsenic a changeless threat intends maintaining nan capacity to find group pinch nan illness and isolating them.” The superior measure, he thought, should beryllium a robust test, trace and isolate system, pinch lockdown “the reserve you usage to return nan power retired of nan strategy erstwhile things are really bad”.

As a lifelong champion of wellness equity, he was critical of nan world consequence to nan pandemic. He lamented nan measurement that authorities had begun shifting really governments responded to world wellness emergencies. In a 2021 question and reply pinch NPR, nan US nationalist power network, he recalled really nan world consequence to Ebola successful 2014 had been “amazing”, but that by nan clip Covid-19 developed successful 2020 things had changed. “There has been a funny shift,” he said. “I find world leaders are nary longer apparently capable to activity together and woody pinch this done a world response.”

Despite his disappointment he worked tirelessly to protect nan UK and beyond from nan pandemic, arguing forcefully for vaccine equity. “The 1 point we want [at nan WHO] is each state successful nan world to beryllium capable to entree a adjacent stock of nan vaccine,” he said. He was knighted successful 2023.

His kindness, humility and decency won loyalty from staff, though his activity ethic could beryllium challenging. He was nan “Gandalf of nan UN”, said Aurélia Nguyen of nan Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. He was “always moving down nan scenes for a broader intent successful ways that were not visible aliases needing to return in installments but softly bringing group to nan array who different would not speak to each other. He worked each hours relentlessly – immoderate of his unit whitethorn opportunity mercilessly – but pinch specified condemnation and passion it was intolerable not to travel him.”

Born successful London, David was 1 of nan 4 children of Sir John Nabarro, a advisor endocrinologist, and Joan (nee Cockrell). David was knowledgeable astatine Oundle school, Northamptonshire, earlier studying medicine astatine Worcester College, Oxford, and University College hospital, London.

He joined WHO successful 1999, moving first connected malaria and later, alongside nan director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland connected nan creation of nan world money to conflict Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, which has since saved millions of lives.

In 2003 he survived nan bombing of nan Canal edifice in Baghdad while serving arsenic WHO typical for wellness action successful crises. He was appointed elder UN strategy coordinator for avian influenza (bird flu) successful 2005, establishing him arsenic a pioneer successful pandemic preparedness.

His astir visible domiciled connected nan world shape came successful 2014 erstwhile he coordinated an unprecedented consequence to nan Ebola outbreak successful West Africa. Facing a business wherever “the number of group getting sick was doubling each week”, he helped bring nan pandemic nether power by engaging nan community, building spot and addressing societal and economical factors alongside delivering aesculapian aid.

Championing nan synergy betwixt societal and aesculapian interventions stands arsenic nan bequest of his life of service.

In 2019 he became co-director, pinch me, of nan Institute of Global Health Innovation astatine Imperial College London, a domiciled to which he brought his immense operational experience, singular expertise to build statement among divers stakeholders, and readiness to mentor young researchers.

His agency was ever unfastened to students and colleagues seeking guidance, and his generous tone enriched nan world community.

Nabarro is survived by his 2nd wife, Florence Lasbennes, whom he joined successful 2019, and by 5 children – 2 sons and a girl from a narration pinch Susanna Graham-Jones, and a girl and boy from his matrimony to Gillian Holmes, which ended successful divorcement – and 7 grandchildren.