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| Boy born with eight limbs doing well after surgery to remove 'parasitic twin', doctors say | Boy born with eight limbs doing well after surgery to remove 'parasitic twin', doctors say |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A baby boy born with four legs and four arms is “progressing well” following surgery, doctors have said. | A baby boy born with four legs and four arms is “progressing well” following surgery, doctors have said. |
| For the first two-and-a-half months of his life, Paul Mukisa was attached to a “parasitic twin” – an underdeveloped variant of a conjoined twin that did not have a heart or brain but had limbs. | For the first two-and-a-half months of his life, Paul Mukisa was attached to a “parasitic twin” – an underdeveloped variant of a conjoined twin that did not have a heart or brain but had limbs. |
| Paul’s mother, Margaret Awino, had given birth at home on 27 May in a small eastern Ugandan village called Nabigingo. | Paul’s mother, Margaret Awino, had given birth at home on 27 May in a small eastern Ugandan village called Nabigingo. |
| The family rushed to the nearby Bugiri Hospital but were referred onto the Mulago Hospital in Kampala, which has previously handled congenital anomalies. | The family rushed to the nearby Bugiri Hospital but were referred onto the Mulago Hospital in Kampala, which has previously handled congenital anomalies. |
| In a case that stunned doctors there, a team of surgeons, led by Dr John Sekabira, found further abnormalities with the boy’s internal organs including the liver and heart being situated on the wrong sides. | In a case that stunned doctors there, a team of surgeons, led by Dr John Sekabira, found further abnormalities with the boy’s internal organs including the liver and heart being situated on the wrong sides. |
| Paul underwent surgery on 18 August - which was the first of its kind at the hospital – with three surgeons, three anaesthesiologists and two nurses successfully removing parts of the parasitic twin in a three-hour operation. | Paul underwent surgery on 18 August - which was the first of its kind at the hospital – with three surgeons, three anaesthesiologists and two nurses successfully removing parts of the parasitic twin in a three-hour operation. |
| Ms Awino has been described by a doctor as being extremely appreciative: “The father and mother were very grateful because at first they thought it was due to witchcraft, and their baby was a laughing stock because of the abnormalities,” one of the surgeons, Dr Nasser Kakembo, said, reports CNN. | Ms Awino has been described by a doctor as being extremely appreciative: “The father and mother were very grateful because at first they thought it was due to witchcraft, and their baby was a laughing stock because of the abnormalities,” one of the surgeons, Dr Nasser Kakembo, said, reports CNN. |
| Mother-of-five Ms Awino told Ugandan newspaper the Daily Monitor: “I still can’t believe that my child is normal. I didn’t know what to do with him but I am very happy he was operated for free.” | Mother-of-five Ms Awino told Ugandan newspaper the Daily Monitor: “I still can’t believe that my child is normal. I didn’t know what to do with him but I am very happy he was operated for free.” |
| Mr Kakembo added: “The baby was given general anaesthesia and the torso and trunk of the parasitic twin, which had two arms but no head or heart, was detached from the host baby. | Mr Kakembo added: “The baby was given general anaesthesia and the torso and trunk of the parasitic twin, which had two arms but no head or heart, was detached from the host baby. |
| “Then we also detached the lower limbs of the parasitic twin from the host, which included disarticulating the right and left lower limbs as they were attached by joints. | “Then we also detached the lower limbs of the parasitic twin from the host, which included disarticulating the right and left lower limbs as they were attached by joints. |
| “We controlled the bleeding and fashioned skin flaps to close the resulting wound. There were no intra-operative or post-operative complications and mild blood loss and a precautionary blood transfusion was given.” | “We controlled the bleeding and fashioned skin flaps to close the resulting wound. There were no intra-operative or post-operative complications and mild blood loss and a precautionary blood transfusion was given.” |
| The child is now doing well and is said to be breastfeeding well, too. | |
| Paul’s case has echoes of a similar one in 2007, in which a two-year-old girl in India was born with eight limbs. | Paul’s case has echoes of a similar one in 2007, in which a two-year-old girl in India was born with eight limbs. |
| Lakshmi Tatma also reportedly had a “parasitic twin” and was reported to have made a good recovery following 27-hour surgery to remove the extraneous body parts. | Lakshmi Tatma also reportedly had a “parasitic twin” and was reported to have made a good recovery following 27-hour surgery to remove the extraneous body parts. |