A baby girl has been born with 26 fingers and toes – and her family believe she may be the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess.
The child was born at the Kaman community health centre in Rajasthan, India, on Sunday (September 17). She has seven fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
Doctors have said her unusual condition is due to a rare genetic anomaly. Dr BS Soni, who works at the hospital where she was born, explained: "There is no harm of any kind in having 26 fingers, but it is a genetic anomaly. The girl is otherwise absolutely healthy."
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The condition is called polydactyly. According to Boston Children's Hospital it affects roughly one in every 500 to 1,000 children. However usually only one hand is affected, making this case particularly rare.
The baby's mother, Sarju Devi, 25, is said to be delighted. The family believe their new daughter might be the Hindu goddess Dholagarh Devi reborn. Dholagarh Devi's temple is located in Rajasthan, the state where this baby was born.
Her brother told local media: "My sister has given birth to a baby who has 26 fingers, and we are considering it to be the incarnation of Dholagarh Devi. We are very happy."
It remains unclear whether the family plan to have the newborn's extra toes and fingers surgically removed. This is usually the case given that additional digits can cause health issues later on in a child's development. The extra toes and fingers tend to be removed when the baby is between one and two-years-old.
Doctors believe polydactyly is inherited. The condition occurs while the baby is still in the mother's womb if the development of the child's fingers takes too long.
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