Chinese Baby with 31 Digits (Photo : YouTube)
The video of a mutant piglet in China became viral in mid-September because of the animal’s unique features such as having a face like a human and a penis on its head.
On Saturday, the video of an eight-year-old Chinese boy also became viral because he was born with 31 fingers and toes instead of the normal 20 digits on the hand and feet. He went through a first of three free surgeries on that day to correct the rare defect, reported Daily Pakistan.
The parents of the boy, who are from Ningbo, were initially reluctant to seek medical help for their son’s condition because of the expected high cost involved. Such corrective surgery could cost up to $75,000 in China.
However, doctors at No. 6 Hospital in the city, found in Zhejiang Province, agreed to lower the cost of the boy’s treatment. The hospital likewise agreed to waive most of the fees for the care of the child, who has 15 fingers and 16 toes, until he reaches 16 years old.
The condition is known as polydactyly, resulting in extra digits, although the boy’s case is considered rare because he has 11 extra digits. Doctors would cut off the extra digits and reshape the rest by operating on the child’s bones, joints, skin, nails and critical vein. Their aim is to finish all cosmetic procedures by the time the child starts school.
New York Daily News explained that polydactylsm is quite common, affecting one in 1,000 newborns. However, the rate in China is double, at two in 1,000 newborns. It is a hereditary condition, with a 50 percent chance of the baby having multiple extra digits too if the parent have it. In the case of the Ningbo boy’s mother, she has an extra small thumb on her right hand and two fused underdeveloped thumbs on the left hand.
