02117nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042100001400054700001200068700002000080700001100100700002200111700001100133245014000144856006600284300000700350490000700357520153300364022001401897       2025                            d  bMDPI AG1 aMartin BM1 aBrown A1 aAmosa-Lei Sam F1 aTufa A1 aFuruya-Kanamori L1 aLau CL00aThe Utility of Infectious Disease Prevalence Studies to Inform Public Health Decision-Making in the Samoan Islands: A Systematic Review  uhttps://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/3/71/pdf?version=1741597220  a710 v103 a<p>We conducted a systematic review of infectious disease (ID) prevalence studies in the Samoan Islands from 2000 to 2024 and aimed to synthesise the prevalence of IDs, the purpose of the studies, and the potential utility of survey results for informing public health decision-making. We searched five academic databases, the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus, and grey literature up until April 2024. English language publications of ID surveys in American Samoa and Samoa were included. Each study’s aim, design, and prevalence results were extracted and categorised by disease and data sources. We identified 46 publications reporting the prevalence of 15 different IDs; 42 publications (91%) reported data from 31 original surveys, of which three (9%) investigated the prevalence of multiple IDs. Twenty-eight (62%) publications primarily aimed to report prevalence to inform public health interventions. Samples from one survey, initially conducted for leptospirosis, were subsequently tested to confirm transmission, describe prevalence, and investigate risk factors for seven other diseases. We emphasise the valuable contribution of prevalence studies in supporting evidence-based public health interventions. The extensive prevalence studies in the Samoan Islands illustrate the need for adopting integrated multipathogen approaches to surveillance to reduce costs, document burden, and generate actionable insights to support evidence-based decisions to prevent, control, and eliminate infectious diseases.</p>
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