The death of the “mermaid baby” in Kolkata was only the second known case of Sironomelia in India
In all the years when you fantasised over The Little Mermaid in your favourite fairy tale book, you may never have imagined her as a little girl who was unwell. She may have been, though.
The death of the “mermaid baby” in Kolkata two days ago was, if doctors there are to be believed, only the second known case of Sironomelia in India. However there are published articles in medical journals, that claim that there have been no less than 14 documented cases in India. Globally the number touches 300.
Sironomelia is a rare disorder where the baby is born with the two legs joined together – what gives the appearance of the mermaid’s tail. It is a fetal development disorder caused by a lower spine anomaly, triggered by a genetic defect and may be accompanied by other deficiencies such as genitourinary abnormalities, gastrointestinal abnormalities, anomalies of the lumbarsacral spine and pelvis and absence or underdevelopment (agenesis) of one or both kidneys. That is why survival is an issue with these children though there have been exceptions. Tiffany Yorks is a 13-year-old girl with fused legs.
According to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders, US: “Sirenomelia affects males more often than females by a ratio of 2.7-1. The exact incidence is unknown, but sirenomelia is estimated to occur in approximately 1 in 60,000 to 100,000 births. Sirenomelia occurs with greater frequency in one twin of identical (monozygotic) twins than it does in fraternal (dizygotic) twins or individuals.”
In a 2015 article in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine researchers from the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute Puducherry wrote: “Sirenomelia is usually fatal within a day or two of birth because of complications associated with abnormal kidney and urinary bladder development and function. In literature approximately 300 cases are reported worldwide of which 14 are from India. In most of the cases the diagnosis was performed after birth.”
They concluded that if the genetic defect is detected before birth within the medically and legally permissible limits of abortion that is the best option.
