ABSTRACT
The family planning activities of the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in a village-based, integrated family planning/maternal and child health (MCH) project in the Matlab field surveillance area have been described in a separate workshop paper. This chapter emphasizes the project's activities with respect to tetanus toxoid immunization for pregnant women. By June 1978, female village workers began to give tetanus immunization and iron and folate tablets to pregnant women. The criteria for selection of the health interventions, and the sequence in which they were introduced, were based on results of social surveys and epidemiologic studies which identified priority areas. The vaccine was procured from the WHO office in Dacca. Nonetheless, the overall trend in reduction of death rates between days 4 and 14 suggests a positive effect of the tetanus toxoid. The first possibility was considered unlikely, since no correlation was found between tetanus toxoid acceptance and post-use of family planning.
