Baby Durjoy is suffering...

Doctors give hope to tot disfigured in acid attack


Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Twenty-two-month-old Durjoy Kumar Tarafdar is probably the world's youngest acid attack victim alive today.

His name means "invincible or difficult to defeat" and that's what he'll need to be to survive after being force- fed acid by relatives when he was less than 50-days-old in Bangladesh.

When he was found by his 25-year- old mother Etirani, Durjoy's lips were swollen, his clothes were burned, and skin around his mouth had turned black.

The attack was carried out by the child's jealous aunt and uncle who tried to kill him so their two daughters could inherit land rights under Hindu laws, according to Monira Rahmen, head of the Dhaka-based Acid Survivors' Foundation that brought Durjoy to Hong Kong for specialist treatment.

Durjoy's chin is attached to his upper chest, and his lips are almost closed.

He can't talk, breathe or drink normally because his internal oral area is completely disfigured.

"I was able to get one of my fingers inside [his mouth] ... a massive scar feels like a block of cement inside," said Professor Andrew Burd, chief of the plastic and reconstructive and aesthetic surgery unit at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Durjoy is being fed by a tube attached to his nose.

A breathing tube has been inserted into his throat but it might be forced out because the scar on his front neck is contracting while the back of his neck is growing normally, Burd said.

Durjoy, accompanied by his parents, is waiting to be operated on at Prince of Wales Hospital by a team of world- renowned surgeons, headed by Burd.

"We're hoping that by the time he attends school, Durjoy will be able to drink without dribbling, breathe properly and speak for people to understand. Without treatment, he's going to die. With treatment, he'll have a normal life expectancy," said Burd, adding several operations may be needed.

As for the medical fees, a day's hospitalization in Hong Kong for overseas nationals costs HK$3,300 and a day's stay in the intensive care unit costs HK$10,000.

It's estimated that Durjoy's first operation, medical care and six weeks' expenditure for the family here would cost US$50,000 (HK$390,000) - an amount the family and the Acid Survivors' Foundation cannot afford.

"He's at the absolute wrong age to receive such treatment - it either has to be younger than 18 months or more than three-years-old - but he's in a desperate situation," said Burd, adding that any operation could be risky because Durjoy "couldn't tolerate blood loss."

The first operation on Durjoy is expected to be carried out Wednesday.

According to Rahmen, acid attacks are common against women in Bangladesh who refuse marriage proposals and sexual acts, and against people involved in land, money or domestic disputes.

Donations for Durjoy are welcomed, and donors can call Jessica Yip at Prince of Wales Hospital's Department of Surgery on 2632-2952.

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Source: The Standard

Writer's note: The Standard is an English newspaper, overseas donors please note country code for Hong Kong is 852.