Four sisters down with rare genetic disorder

KENDRAPARA (Orissa): Four young daughters of a poor daily wage earner have come under the grip of a rare genetic and neurological disease 'mascular distrophy' putting the medical fraternity here in a tizzy.

The diseased siblings -- Anusaya, Ranjulata, Mili and Kuni -- are all grown up and debilitating effect of the disease has turned them immobile.

"I am poor. Still I am trying hard to support my physically challenged daughters," Maheswar Sahu, native of dhumat village, about 30 km from here said.

It is a rare muscular and paralytic ailment intimately interlinked with gentic disorder, said health officials.

The diseased girls are afflicted with hitherto incurable 'muscular distrophy' disease. It is a congential disease and this is the first ever detected case of the said disease in Kendrapara district, health department sources told.

"It is quite a rare disease and its incidence is hardly one per one lakh children. It owes its root to hereditary and gynealogical linkage," they said.

The disease is largely incurable. This rare disease used to have debilitating effect on muscles and joints and those afflicted with such disorder undergo cardiac ailment, which often turns fatal, doctors said.

The girls are from exceedingly poor family background with their farm-labourer-father shouldering the burden of crippled children from meager daily wages.

The health department had referred the case to the state government for gratuitous relief to the diseased children, the sources adds.

Meanwhile, following steps taken by the government, the physically challenged children were now covered under Rs 200 a month disability pension scheme.