Finally, for themost part, the agenda setters— that is, the politicians — found that child health is a readily accepted cause that meets with little opposi- tion when proposed as a subject for social investment (12). It should also be mentioned that childhood illnessesmake a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease (the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy alone, at the time it was formulated, addressed conditions that accounted for as much as 14% of disability-adjusted life years) (13), and high mortality rates in children under 5 years of age are an important contributor to reduced life expectancy in developing countries. Recently, however, the primacy of child health concerns has been challenged,.
