Representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, report that more and more children with rare developmental disabilities are being born recently.
So, over the past two years, experts have recorded 50 facts of developmental defects. And in less than 18 months, five conjoined twins were born.
According to department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo, last week, for example, a 16-year-old mother gave birth to a girl with a mass on her forehead that resembles a male penis. Moreover, the child did not have a nose and eyes. The whole face was just covered with skin.
And in April, doctors were faced with the fact that a child was born missing part of the skull (the brain was covered with just a thin layer of skin). Last year, one child was diagnosed with a similar pathology - an open heart. All babies with similar disabilities usually die in the first weeks.
Experts have found that most cases of unhealthy children are born in the Transkei region, which is characterized by an overwhelming level of poverty and underdevelopment. Despite the attempts made, it has not been possible to reduce mortality in the region.
