Single-dose Postpartum Vitamin A Supplementation of Mothers and Neonates

The ZVITAMBO PROJECT is testing whether giving mothers and infants a single large dose of vitamin A during the immediate post partum period will reduce: 1. Infant Mortality Can oral administration of a single 50,000 IU dose of vitamin A to newborn infants, a single 400,000 IU dose of vitamin A given to their lactating mothers, or supplementation of both the mother and infant during the immediate post partum period reduce infant mortality by at least 30%? 2. Mother to Child HIV transmission during breast feeding Can oral administration of a single large dose of vitamin A given during the immediate post partum period to HIV seropositive lactating women and/or their babies reduce HIV transmission via breast feeding by at least 30%? 3. Sexually transmitted HIV infection of post partum women Can a single 400,000 IU dose of vitamin A given during the immediate post partum period to HIV seronegative women reduce their likelihood of becoming HIV infected during the post partum year by at least 25%? 4. Infant feeding in the context of HIV: An operational research study was initiated mid-way through the trial to determine how UNAIDS Guidelines on infant feeding in the context of HIV could be effectively implemented and to measure the impact of such a program on infant feeding practices and postnatal HIV transmission. Substudies: Random subsamples of maternal and infant blood were evaluated for anemia and iron status to determine the effect of vitamin A on hematopoiesis and serum and breast milk retinol (mothers) and modified relative dose response test (infants) to determine the effect of vitamin A on vitamin A status. A subsample of maternal and infant blood samples were evaluated for the presence of HLA-E, HLA-G, and TAP polymorphisms and their relation to prevalent HIV infection in mothers and risk of mother to child transmission.