Chennai:
A seven-day-old baby with a rare medical condition which literally sets him on fire has been admitted to the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital in Chennai. A special team has been formed to monitor the situation, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.
The boy from a village in Villupuram district is reportedly suffering from Spontaneous Human Combustion, a rare medical condition which literally sets him on fire.
He was earlier admitted to a government hospital in Villupuram and doctors there preferred to get him admitted in the Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) and Hospital in Chennai, Mr Radhakrishnan said.
His elder brother Rahul also suffered from same problem when he was about two and a half months old in 2013. After treatment at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital that year, he was discharged and has reportedly not suffered from the condition again.
"I came to know about the incident through the media. Like last year, we are giving similar treatment given to through a paediatrician. The child has a burning injury in his leg. We are planning to give treatment to the baby's mother also", Mr Radhakrishnan told reporters.
"We have set up facilities that can closely monitor the child", he said.
The Dean of Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Gunasekaran, said the child "is well" and there was no burning incident after he was admitted to the hospital.
"We are dressing the burning injury that were in the legs of the child. We have done a study and are investigating on how burns occur. We are closely monitoring the baby and a special team headed by me has been formed", he said.