Control of neonatal tetanus in rural Haiti through the utilization of medical auxiliaries.

Auxiliary health workers, if their duties are strictly defined and appropriately supervised, can efficiently extend the services of professionals to large and isolated populations. Their use is not limited to rural populations, but it is the rural context that most dramatically highlights the auxiliaries’ possibilities for service. This article reports the control of tetanus in one rural area, an example which serves to illustrate the value of medical auxiliaries.