Baby born with rare condition labelled 'alien' by shocked mom who refused to nurse him

Image credit: SWNS

New Delhi: A baby boy born with an extremely rare genetic condition in India has been called an 'alien' by his mother who also refused to breastfeed him initially.

As per reports, the newborn has been born with a very rare severe genetic condition harlequin ichthyosis, which mainly affects the skin and gives sufferers deformed features.

35-year-old Khalida Begum, who gave birth to the infant boy on Monday night, was shocked when she saw the baby had a small head and bulging eyes, prompting her to ask midwives to take it away.

“Several body parts of the baby is not completely developed. When I saw the baby after delivery for the first time, I was completely shocked to see the alien-looking boy. I was so shocked and saddened by this that I asked the midwife to take the baby out of my sight, said the mother-of-four, from Kathihar in Bihar.

However, locals, including the boy's father Mohammed Imtiyaz, believe he may be an incarnation of a Hindu god Hanuman.

It is said that the boy may also suffer from another uncommon defect called Anencephaly.

The overall rate of harlequin ichthyosis is 1 in 300,000 births. Constant care is required to moisturize and protect the skin. Lifespan limitations have not yet been determined with the new treatments.

Nusrit "Nelly" Shaheen, who was born in 1984, is the oldest known survivor with the condition. She is in relatively good health as of April 2016.

In June 2016, a female baby born with the condition - reported as the first case in the country - died in Nagpur after two days.