A three-month-old Indian boy is reportedly diagnosed with a condition in which the body catches fire due to emission of gases causing burns all over the body.
The baby boy, Rahul, first reportedly caught fire when he was just nine days old. The condition is known as Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC), or as some call it, a 'Medical Hoax'. The doctors conducted more than a dozen tests on the baby. However, the reports so far are normal.
Some health experts believe that the baby is a victim of child abuse, but the tests show no such signs. The reports also show no bone damage and his liver and kidney are completely fine.
The baby was born on May 22 to mother Rajeswari and father Karna, who are residents of a village in Villupuram in the India state of Tamil Nadu. The parents say that baby Rahul has so far caught fire four times in the past three months. He was admitted to a Chennai hospital for burn treatment.
Even the doctors treating the baby say that they have never came across such a condition. "It's a very rare case, it can occur in any age group. It is the spontaneous explosion of burning material from the sweat. It's a serious case. In the past cases, those who happened to be with the person who had this disorder have died," Dr Thenmozhi, assistant professor in Paediatrics Department, Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, where the baby is being treated, told IBN Live. "Severe precautions need to be taken. In my experience, this is the first time I've seen such a case. And unfortunately, there is no special cure and it has to be treated like a regular burn injury."
Baby Rahul's blood, urine and sweat samples were being examined to check for any toxic substance, the doctors told Zee News. Later a biopsy of the skin of the baby will also be carried out once he recovers from the burns. At present, Rahul is being given symptomatic treatment for burns with the administration of antibiotics.
Some doctors do not buy the theory of SHC and doubt its authenticity. "SHC is a hoax theory. A baby catching fire spontaneously is not possible," burns specialist at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Dr J Jagan Mohan, told the Times of India. "Alcoholics have a very small percentage of alcohol secreted in their sweat but even that wouldn't generate a fire."
