The conjoined twins who had just been delivered are fighting for their lives
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I A 17-year-old girl from Soroti district gave birth to rare conjoined twins on Wednesday, throwing medical workers on duty into panic.
The teenage mother, who had been referred from Soroti Eastern Division Health Centre III, was initially thought to be carrying twins in a breech position.
However, on arriving at Soroti hospital in labour at about 37 weeks, doctors discovered the rare condition, prompting an emergency caesarean section.
The conjoined baby girls, sharing a single body and weighing 3kg at birth, had a swelling on her back. They were immediately admitted to the neonatal unit for specialised care.
They are currently planning to transfer the twins to Mulago Referral Hospital, which will reportedly assemble a team to separate the babies at a later stage.
The health workers blamed the condition to delayed antenatal visits, which often contribute to severe complications. It comes about when expectant mothers do not attend all scheduled check-ups, they said.
“Regular monitoring not only helps to detect abnormalities early, but also improves outcomes in high-risk pregnancies,” said Dr Irene Chebet, the gynaecologist in charge of the maternity ward.
What are conjoined twins?
Conjoined twins are two babies who are physically connected at birth. This rare condition occurs when a single fertilised egg fails to fully separate during early development.
All conjoined twins are identical and about two-thirds are female. Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring in approximately one in every 50,000 pregnancies.
On a sad note, many such twins do not survive, as up to 60% are stillborn or die shortly after birth due to shared anatomy. This makes life unsustainable. Those who do survive often face complex surgeries and long-term medical care.
