ABSTRACT
The reduction of child mortality may be one of the most commonly stated objectives of health and development policy in developing countries (Taylor and Ramalingaswami 1993). During the past several decades, the primary instruments used to pursue this objective have been selective health interventions such as immunization, oral rehydration therapy, antibiotics and curative care (Huffman and Steel 1995; Walsh and Warren 1979). Some of these interventions have reached high levels of coverage and are responsible, in part, for the marked reduction in child mortality seen in many countries (World Bank 1993). Notwithstanding this general trend towards progress, child mortality rates remain high, and the coverage of selective health interventions remains low, in the rural or difficult-to-reach populations within countries, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa (Murray and Lopez 1994; Murray et al. 1994).
