Baby With Fluid Inside Skull may be Left to Die Due to Poverty

An 18-month old baby girl from a rural village in Tripura is suffering from a condition that has caused a massive swelling of fluid inside her skull. The baby could die as her father cannot afford the cost of her treatment. Roona Begum from Jirania village is suffering from a condition known as hydrocephalus which requires surgery to release the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull.

However her father, Abdul Rahman earns less than Rs 150 ($2.50) working at a brick factor and is unable to pay for the surgery. Rahman cannot do anything more than ensuring that Roona is kept as comfortable as possible, though the condition will deteriorate if left untreated, leading to excess pressure on the brain which could cause brain damage.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a leading British expert Gill Yaz “Left untreated, if it progresses very quickly, the babies usually die because their brain tissues are unable to adapt. If the condition develops more slowly, as in Roona’s case, the child adapts by growing their skulls to contain the excess fluid. However, the adaptation can only go so far.”

Source-Medindia