CROSS-CUTTING AREAS 5 Ongoing initiatives, such as the development of the One Health Implementation Framework for South Africa are providing platforms to strengthen intersectoral laboratory communication and collaboration. These initiatives can be further supported by legal and technical frameworks for routine specimen and data sharing between human, animal and environmental laboratories, as well as clear thresholds for cross-sector alerts to ensure timely responses to emerging threats. By strengthening collaboration, data sharing and coordinated responses, South Africa’s laboratories can be prepared for emerging threats to protect both human and animal health. Next steps 22 Read more about the author: Nicole Wolter Challenges in One Health laboratory integration Despite South Africa’s strong laboratory systems, several challenges limit the efficacy of a One Health approach to zoonotic disease diagnosis and surveillance. Human, veterinary and environmental laboratories operate under different government departments, which can lead to misaligned mandates, priorities and competition for limited resources. Laboratory capacity, resourcing and technical expertise vary across provinces and sectors, causing inconsistencies in diagnostic turnaround times, test availability and outbreak response. In addition, laboratory data and reporting systems are fragmented, highlighting the need for improved integration of data across public and private laboratories, and across human, animal and environmental sectors.
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