A newborn in India has stunned medical staff after being born with four arms and four legs. The baby, weighing about six pounds six ounces, was delivered at a health centre in Lavkush Nagar, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday, August 23.
Stable condition and next steps
Initially kept under observation with its 29-year-old mother, the baby is to be referred for specialist treatment. Health centre staff said the tot's condition was stable, but any treatment would need to wait until further examinations are made.
Doctors have said scans will help determine how the extra body parts are linked. They will also assess the baby's bones, circulation, internal organs and blood vessels.
Possible cause and rarity
Doctors have suggested the extremely rare case may be parasitic twinning, which sees an incompletely developed twin staying attached to a sibling that has developed normally. The condition affects fewer than one in one million births worldwide, according to Cleveland Clinic.
It reports that the "parasitic twin" usually has "no chance of survival". Experts remain uncertain as to what causes such a pregnancy. It can lead to a number of complications, including congenital heart disease and a tethered spinal cord.
Public attention and transfer
One theory as to what causes the condition is that part of an embryo fails to completely divide early on in an identical twin pregnancy, resulting in the dominance of one embryo's development over the other.
The birth in India reportedly sparked widespread public attention, with crowds massing outside the health centre trying to get a glimpse of the baby. Reports suggested the newborn would be transferred to Jabalpur Medical College for further tests and checks. An air ambulance was required to move the baby because of its need for specialist care.
