Boy Born With 2 Heads and 3 Hands in Madhya Pradesh; What is Structural Birth Defect? Know Its Causes

A baby boy with two heads and three hands was born to a woman in a village at Ganjbasoda, Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. The area falls in the Vidisha district. According to the doctors, only one heart was visible of the newborn, which also has two palms on one hand. The baby has been kept under observation in the Intensive Care Unit. Further details have it that the baby was born to a 21-year-old Babita Ahirwar who is a resident of Ganjbasoda area itself. The baby boy is the first child of Ahirwar, who was married a year and a half ago.

Even though a lot of detail wasn't available about the child, it seemed like one of the rarest cases of structural birth defect. Usually, such incidents of birth defects aren't very common but are quite possible due to genetic mutation. Such genetic mutation is possible amongst both humans and animals may.  A gene mutation is a permanent alteration in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene cause of various causes. The sequence differs from what is commonly found in people and therefore babies are born this with abnormal body structures. Calf with Strange 'Human Face' Sends Chills Across Social Media! Watch Bizarre Video from Argentina.

What Causes Birth Defects?

The causes of rare birth defects are usually unknown which means idiopathic. Doctors are unable to find out what exactly caused the genetic mutation because the reasons can be more than one. However, some of the known cases are environmental or genetic. While as per environmental causes it is the baby's exposure to chemicals or viruses while in the womb, genetic causes usually mean a problem with genes. Sometimes the defect can be caused by a result of the combination of both these things.

Environmental Causes: As the name suggests the reasons that factor in causing defects are from the environment the mother was subject to. Also, if the mother experiences certain infections during pregnancy, her baby can be born with birth defects. For example Rubella and chickenpox (varicella) viruses, if the child is exposed to, he or she can be born with birth defects. Fortunately, vaccinations against these diseases are rampantly available so such infections are rare. Sometimes it is also said that the mother is exposed to high-dose radiation, it might affect the baby.

Genetic Causes:  Babies get their genes from their parents, however, the congenital error caused in the process can cause structural abnormalities in kids. Body's cells have chromosomes containing genes that determine a person's unique characteristics, however, a child inherits one of each pair of chromosomes (and one of each pair of the genes they contain) from each parent during conception in the womb itself. When the process doesn't take place correctly, the baby can be born with too few or too many chromosomes causing defects.

Such birth defects, usually in remote areas of India are misunderstood under the shadow of prevalent superstition in the country. Just recently, a woman in Odisha's Ganjam was labelled as a witch and caused her to confine herself to the four walls of her house for being born with 20 toes and 12 fingers. Known as Nayak Kumari, the 63-year-old lives in Kadapada village of Ganjam district. Kumari said to ANI that her neighbours believe her to be a witch but there is nothing she can do to change her appearance as she lacks the money to do so."I was born with this defect and could not be treated because I belong to a poor family. The superstitious residents nearby believe I am a witch and keep away from me," the woman said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2019 01:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).