This was a prospective study to examine the impact of
feeding mode on health and nutritional changes in mothers
and their infants over a nine-month period. The study
population consisted of HIV-infected pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic (ANC) at Umkhumbane Community Health centre in Durban, South Africa. This centre serves the community of Cato Manor comprising mainly people of Zulu ethnicity. Our exclusion criteria included: women with advanced disease (CD4 200 or WHO stage 3&4); those not resident in the area as they would be unable to return for follow-up; gestation less than 36 weeks; and mothers of infants with congenital abnormalities requiring tertiary level care.