Battle To Save Boy With Six Legs In Pakistan

Doctors in Pakistan are fighting to save the life of a baby boy born with six legs.

The unnamed infant has a rare genetic condition, hospital officials said.

The boy was born to the wife of an X-ray technician a week ago, Jamal Raza, the director of National Institute of the Child Health in Karachi, told reporters.

"It is not one baby actually. They are two, one of them is premature," he said.

A doctor at the institute, who did not wish to be named, said the extra limbs were the result of a genetic disease which would affect only one in a million or more babies.

"The doctors are examining the infant to plan for necessary treatment to save the baby's life and ensure he lives a normal life," said a statement from the provincial health department.

Imran Shaikh, the baby's father who lives in Sukkur, around 450km (280 miles) north of Karachi, said he was grateful his son was being treated.

"We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government for helping us treating my baby," he told the media.

The case is similar to that of Lakshmi Tatma, an Indian girl who sparked international sympathy after she was born with four arms and four legs.

The operation to remove her extra limbs began in 2007 when she was two years old and was a success.