Data Sharing During Pandemics: Reciprocity, Solidarity, and Limits to Obligations

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Epidemiology
• International Relations

Background:

• The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in South Africa led to travel bans by high-income countries (HICs).
• These travel bans were scientifically unfounded and contradicted International Health Regulations.
• South Africa faced penalties for transparently sharing critical variant data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the justification of data sharing during pandemics based on solidarity.
• To propose reciprocity as a more robust ethical principle for data sharing between nations.
• To advocate for conditional data sharing by low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs) in future health crises.

Main Methods:

• Ethical and political analysis of international health regulations and data sharing practices.
• Examination of the principle of solidarity versus reciprocity in global health contexts.
• Argumentative framework based on equitable benefit sharing and non-punishment.

Main Results:

• Solidarity is an insufficient basis for mandatory data sharing obligations.
• Reciprocity offers a stronger ethical foundation for international data exchange during pandemics.
• Unconditional data sharing by LIMCs has historically led to negative consequences.

Conclusions:

• LIMCs should adopt a principle of reciprocity for pandemic data sharing.
• Data sharing should be conditional on enforceable guarantees of equitable benefit distribution from HICs.
• Future pandemic responses must avoid penalizing nations for timely information disclosure.