A premature baby, born with a hardened shell of skin and deformed features has left the mother devastated .
The 28-year-old woman, who refused to reveal her identity, gave birth to the baby girl at a government-run hospital in Patna district of Bihar, in eastern India .
Within hours of the news of the ‘bizarre’ looking girl’s birth broke, scores of locals flocked to the hospital to have a glimpse of the baby.
Doctors were forced to intervene to remove the number of people gathered outside the medical centre to see the baby.
The young parents, who claim to be traumatised by the birth, called the child a curse and refused to accept her.
When they brought her home, the mother refused to hold her in her arms or even breastfeed her. .
The mother said: “I have no idea how did this happen.
Me and my family are completely devastated. I am in shock as I was really looking forward to becoming a mother of a healthy child, be it a girl or a boy.”
Doctors believe that the girl wouldn’t survive for long as none of her organs have developed properly and that the probability of survival of such cases is only one in 10 million.
The rare genetic condition called Harlequin Ichthyosis happens due to an acute case of malnutrition causing thickening of the skin and facial deformities.
At birth, the child’s body is encased in an ‘armour’ of thick, white plates of skin, separated by deep cracks.
There may be other abnormalities in the eyes, eyes, limbs and genitals.
Because of the cracked skin, patients with this condition are often susceptible to serious bacterial infections, which are often fatal.
Mirror
