Woman gives birth to 'mermaid baby' in Assam's Hojai

Jharna Chandra, who was just a few weeks away from delivering her baby had to undergo abortion following the diagnosis of Sirenomelia or mermaid syndrome in her fetus, an extremely rare congenital development disorder causing abnormalities of the lower spine and legs.

Hojai (Assam):In a rare case of Sirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, a woman in Assam's Hojai district on Friday gave birth to a 'mermaid baby', born with fused limbs.

Jharna Chandra, who was just a few weeks away from giving birth to her child, had gone to a private hospital in the district for her regular pregnancy check-up when the doctors informed her about the abnormality in the fetus.

Following the doctors advise, Chandra decided to abort the baby, who was diagnosed with Sirenomelia, a rare congenital disease occurring one in lakh births and warrants immediate attention as it can be fatal for the newborn.

Stunned by the birth of a 'mermaid' like baby, whose gender could not be detected as the baby’s lower half was merged in a tail-like structure, Chandra's husband said, "the baby is neither a boy or a girl. It looks like a fish, doesn't have legs or hands."

Sirenomelia causes stillbirths in many instances, and in case of live birth, a newborn’s odds of survival, even after surgical intervention, are small. It is an extremely rare congenital development disorder which causes abnormalities of the lower spine and legs.