The parents of a little 10-year-old girl Sahana Khatun have become intensely worried following the discovery that their daughter is growing bark-like warts on her face and body.
A beautiful young Bangledeshi girl is thought to be the first female ever diagnosed with the “tree-man syndrome”. The girl has bark-like warts growing on her face already.
Now, the Bangladeshi doctors think ten-year-old Sahana Khatun could have contracted it after growths started emerging around her chin, ears and nose. Just about six people are known to have the condition worldwide and Sahana is thought to be the first woman affected.
Doctor Samanta Lal Sen said:“We believe she is the first woman.”
The warts grew rapidly over a period of four months. The girl’s father Mohammad Shahjahan said it held little concern at first.
But as they grew out of control the labourer took her from their village in northern Bangladesh to the capital Dhaka for treatment. Now, he worries whether he has enough money to treat the unsightly growths.
Mohammad said:“We are very poor. My daughter lost her mother when she was only six.
“I really hope that the doctors will remove the barks from my beautiful daughter’s face.”
Abul Bajandar, also from Bangladesh, is the most high-profile victim of the debilitating condition – named epidermodysplasia verruciformis. The 27-year-old has been undergoing intense treatment to remove tree-like growths from both his hands. After sixteen surgeries to remove 5kg of growths, the dad is almost ready to return home.
The rickshaw driver said it was the thought of holding his daughter again that motivated him to seek treatment for the “unbearable” condition.
He said:“I never thought I would ever be able to hold my kid with my hands.
“Now I feel so much better, I can hold my daughter in my lap and play with her. I can’t wait to go back home.”