A five-year-old boy lost his ear and lower jaw after being bitten off entirely by hyenas. Now he has only hope for the help of plastic surgeons.
Viewers of the TV program Body Bizarre ("Strange Bodies") recently met a five-year-old boy named Abel, who was seriously injured after being attacked by a hyena. It happened in a small village near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
The child would probably have lost his life altogether if the mother had not come running to his aid, having heard his screams. She subsequently took the baby to the hospital.
The boy was playing not far from his house, and the hyena's attack can be called a “fatal accident”, since they usually do not approach people's dwellings and do not attack them for no apparent reason. The doctor who provided first aid to the boy admitted that for the first time he faced such terrible injuries.
The little patient was unconscious, and after the operation he was transferred to intensive care. He was in critical condition, but managed to regain consciousness.
There was a danger of Abel's death due to the fact that his windpipe could "close" after injury. However, the doctor inserted a small metal tube directly into his throat, allowing the baby to breathe. And, nevertheless, Abel's chances of survival were estimated at only 10%.
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After 5 months in the intensive care unit, the boy ended up in a special rehabilitation center, where he is gradually recovering. The charity plastic surgeons here hope to restore the child's face.
They expect to use the skin and bones from his leg to recreate the jaw. It is expected that after this operation and further reconstructive procedures, the boy will be able to speak and eat normally.