Zinc supplements for young infants with severe infections in Tanzania
Trial of Zinc Supplements for Young Infants with Clinical Severe Infection in Tanzania
This tests whether giving short-term zinc supplements to newborns and infants under 60 days who are hospitalized with severe infections helps them survive and recover when given alongside standard antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261534 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby (0–59 days old) is admitted to a participating hospital in Dar es Salaam with a WHO-defined clinical severe infection, they may be randomly given either a twice-daily zinc supplement or a matching placebo for 14 days while still receiving standard antibiotic care. The trial enrolls about 3,250 infants and is double-blind, so neither families nor clinicians will know which treatment each baby receives. Babies will be followed for 90 days to see who survives and how well they recover, and small biological samples will be collected to learn how zinc might work and whether effects differ by the type of infection. Participation involves hospital-based treatment and follow-up visits as required by the study team.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Infants aged 0–59 days hospitalized in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with WHO IMCI-defined clinical severe infection who are receiving standard antibiotic therapy are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Infants older than 59 days, babies not hospitalized, or children without a WHO-defined clinical severe infection (and families outside the Dar es Salaam hospitals) would not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, a cheap and widely available zinc supplement could lower deaths and treatment failures among young infants with severe infections in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have performed: Zinc has reduced illness and death in older children in prior trials, but using zinc specifically for newborns with severe infections is less studied and this large randomized trial is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sudfeld, Christopher — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Sudfeld, Christopher
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.