Indian doctors have warned there is ‘nothing’ they can do to save a baby who was born with two severe birth defects.
The boy, called Babu, suffers from encephalocele – a rare condition which caused him to be born with a flat head and a sac on the back of his neck.
His parents, Jyotsna and Jhontu Das, were told their son had no hope of survival – despite him now being two months old, local reports suggest.
They are now desperately chasing a ‘miracle’ as they believe Babu could ‘live forever’ – despite doctors warning they are ‘helpless’ to save him.
Babu is now spending his final days in the comfort of his own home, as his parents try their best to prolong his life.
Waiting on a miracle
His father Jhonto said: ‘If Babu has lived this far he might live forever. We are waiting for a miracle that can save our child.’
Jyotsna added: ‘When doctors have nothing to help it is better we look after him in our own ways.
‘We will give all the comfort and love to our son with the hope that he will live a long life.’
When Babu was born
Numerous ultrasounds were taken during Jyotsna’s pregnancy, but none showed that the child had encephalocele.
Doctors at National Medical College in Kolkata just warned that Babu had an enlarged head that could be easily treated when he was born.
But once he was born, medics were forced to explain to the illiterate parents that there was no way of treating him.
Since then, the poverty-stricken couple have been running from one hospital to another in the hope of a surgery.
But a team of surgeons at Bangur Institute of Neuroscience, also in Kolkata, re-iterated the same fate for the infant.
‘We are helpless’
If Babu has lived this far he might live forever. We are waiting for a miracle that can save our child
Jhonto, Babu’s father
Dr Pitboron Chokroborty, from the hospital, said: ‘The baby is born with the brain outside of his skull. This has happened due to a rare disease called anencephaly.
‘This is an extreme case of deformity and nothing can be done to save the child. We are helpless, if we take him to operation table he will die the very moment.’
Anencephaly is another serious birth defect, and can often result in children being born without the front part of their brain.
Doctors offered to care for Babu, but the parents rejected their offer and instead decided to keep him at home to look after him.
WHAT IS ENCEPHALOCELE?
Encephalocele is a rare type of neural tube defect (NTD) present at birth that affects the brain.
The neural tube is a narrow channel that folds and closes during the third and fouth weeks of pregnancy to form the brain and spinal cord.
Encephalocele is described as a sac-like protrusion or projection of the brain and the membranes that cover it through an opening in the skull.
Encephalocele happens when the neural tube does not close completely during pregnancy.
The result is an opening in the midline of the upper part of the skull, the area between the forehead and nose, or the back of the skull.
Usually encephaloceles are found right after birth, but sometimes a small encephalocele in the nose and forehead region can go undetected.
How rare is it?
Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year about 375 babies in the United States are born with encephalocele.
In other words, about 1 out of every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year will have encephalocele.
What causes it?
There is a genetic component to the condition, meaning it often occurs among families with a history of spina bifida and anencephaly.
Some researchers also believe that certain environmental exposures before or during pregnancy might be causes, but more research is needed.
Can it be prevented?
Currently, there is no known way to prevent encephalocele, although steps can be taken to lower the risk.
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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