IMPACT OF NEONATAL VITAMIN-A SUPPLEMENTATION ON INFANT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY

Objective: To determine whether vitamin A supplementation at birth cou ld reduce infant morbidity and mortality. Study design: We conducted a placebo-controlled trial among 2067 Indonesian neonates who received either 52 mu mol (50,000 IU) orally administered vitamin A or placebo on the first day of life. Infants were followed up at 1 year to determ ine the impact of this intervention on infant mortality, A subgroup (n = 470) was also examined at 4 and 6 months of age to examine the impa ct on morbidity. Results: Vital status was confirmed in 89% of infants in both groups at 1 year, There were 19 deaths in the control group a nd 7 in the vitamin A group (relative risk = 0.36; 95% confidence inte rval = 0.16, 0.87), The impact wets stronger among boys, infants of no rmal compared with low birth weight, and those of greater ponderal ind ex, Among infants examined at 4 months of age, the 1-week period preva lence of common morbidities was similar for vitamin A and control infa nts. However, during this same 4-month period, 73% and 51% more contro l infants were brought for medical treatment for cough (p = 0.008) and fever (p = 0.063), respectively. Conclusions: Neonatal vitamin A supp lementation may reduce the infant mortality rate and the prevalence of severe respiratory infection among young infants.