Photo: Woman gave birth to a child with tail.

Mother Chen Wei holds her son Xiao, who has a tail-
like growth due to spina bifida. Doctors will repair
the baby’s spinal canal to correct the condition.
A mother in China is urging doctors to help her
seven-month-old son, who was born with a three-
inch-long “tail” that is still growing.
The boy, Xiao Wei, was born with spina bifida, a
disorder in which the spinal column is not fully
closed.
Xiao has a variant of the condition called
myelomeningocele, in which the spinal cord
protrudes, forming a sac that contains the spinal
matter.

Mother Chen Wei, from China’s Guangdong province,
said surgeons have told her they cannot simply
remove the growth.
Surgeon Huang Chanping told news agencies: “The
growth is quite well developed and now measures
some 10 centimeters.

“If we cut it off, it will simply grow again. We need
to
repair the spinal canal first to stop it reoccurring.”
In addition to physical complications, children with
spina bifida may have learning disabilities and are at
higher risk for ADHD.

In most cases, doctors perform surgery during
infancy to prevent brain damage and physical
disability. Folic acid taken during pregnancy is
recommended to prevent the condition.