, “A child was born with two heads and three arms”These reports are mainly related to India. But what is the real story? Are most deformed newborns born in Indian society? If so, why is this so?
Every society has a different attitude toward newborn deformities. In Indian society, newborns are often considered incarnations of certain gods. In other societies, any disability is considered taboo. Therefore, it is not uncommon for such children to be hidden, denied access to necessary medical care, or even killed after birth.
In fact, the majority of these children are born in poor countries. Most of these defects are observed in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the imaginary sad number one is not in India but in Sudan. Experts believe that a significant percentage of birth defects could be prevented, for example, by the proper medical care that mothers receive in European societies. The fewest number of such affected children is in France.
The high incidence of such malformations may be due, for example, to the almost non-existent sex education and lack of proper medical care in some countries. In addition, the fetus may be damaged by potential nutritional deficiencies in the diet. Moreover, the problem is exacerbated when the population lives in villages. Not only are there problems of poverty and lack of medical care and general education, but also problems in finding suitable partners.
In villages, people often marry and remarry among themselves from generation to generation, making it difficult for them to marry people from surrounding villages or even cities. In such cases, weak genetics may also play a role. In addition, the high rate of rape and inadequate postpartum care in these societies may also be a contributing factor. Even in Western societies, childbirth itself can be life-threatening for both mother and child, and even with the best care, minutes or seconds can play a major role.