The authors rightly note that a “substantial challenge” will be the need for national legislation to permit sharing between sectors. However, the discussion does not adequately address the existing legal, ethical, and proprietary barriers that currently prevent such integration. In many jurisdictions, human health data are protected under strict privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), while animal and environmental health data may fall under agricultural, environmental, or commercial regulations. Additionally, samples and data derived from public health surveillance are often considered national assets, with restrictions on international transfer.
If these barriers are not systematically resolved, the proposed “one sample many analyses” framework and the associated networked laboratories may remain aspirational rather than operational. Could the authors clarify:
What specific mechanisms or existing international agreements could be leveraged to overcome these legal and ethical hurdles?
Are there case studies or pilot examples where multi-sectoral sample and data sharing has been successfully implemented under a One Health framework, and what lessons can be scaled?