BABY WITH EXTRA HEAD SURVIVES SURGERY

Three Month old Asree Gul, with an extra head as she lies at a
hospital in the eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad
This shocking picture shows a three-month-old baby with an extra head
as she lies at a hospital in the Afghanistan city of Jalalabad.
The photo was taken just before Asree Gul underwent a rare operation
to have the second skull removed.
Doctors say the surgery was a success, but it was complicated as vital
nerves and blood vessels were linked to the second skull.
The family – farmers in Chaparhar district – approached doctors after
Asree Gul's second skull made it difficult for her to sleep, and led
to her being stigmatised in their village.
Asree Gul – which means "new flower" – is one of a set of twins, and
doctors believe her unusual condition was caused when a third baby
failed to develop in the womb.
"Her mother gave birth to twins, two girls, one girl was in good
health but the other has an abnormality. She had an extra head
attached to her head," Dr Ahmad Obaid Mojadidi told AFP.
He added that it was the first successful surgery of its kind in
eastern Afghanistan.
"We don't have very developed equipment," he said, "but we are very
happy to have conducted the operation successfully".
The generous doctor completed the operation – which would usually cost
between £2,500 and £3,700 – for free, as the family could not afford
it.