Baby born with mermaid syndrome in Rawalpindi

A baby was born with Sirenomelia, also called mermaid syndrome, at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology on Saturday having a tail-like leg and a head larger than the normal size.

The woman named Hussan Ara, a resident of Narowal, was admitted to the hospital for delivery. She has heart problems so she is still undergoing treatment at the hospital after giving birth to the child.

According to hospital sources, the baby was born dead as babies with the disease usually do not survive.

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They further said that the head of the baby was larger than normal size with two arms and a tail-like leg attached to her abdomen.

Sirenomelia is a rare congenital deformity in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a mermaid's tail, hence the nickname.

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According to healthline.com, the syndrome is a very rare disorder affecting 0.8 to 1 baby per 100,000 live births. Male babies experience this condition three times more often than females.

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes mermaid syndrome, but they believe it’s likely a combination of environmental and genetic factors, according to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders.

Doctors call many cases “sporadic”, meaning they occur for no known reason. These causes often lead to impaired blood flow in the embryo, specifically in the region where the lower limbs would typically grow.