DRC (Mission Network News) — The recent natural birth of conjoined twin baby girls in the bush of the Democratic Republic of Congo was a rare occurrence. The closest hospital in Vanga was a two-day drive by motorbike, and even that hospital was not fully equipped to separate conjoined infants. The next closest hospital was in Kinshasa, another 12-14 hours away and with treacherous roads.
The birth of conjoined twins is very rare, accounting for only one out of every 200,000 births according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Conjoined twins have their skin or often even internal organs fused together in the womb. Around 40-60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn and 35 percent only live one day. Only between 5-25 percent of conjoined twins survive.
Pilot Brett Reierson with Mission Aviation Fellowship in West DRC knew something was up when he saw a crowd some 200-strong headed toward the airplane in Vanga. The doctor ushered a woman aboard with a bundle in her arms.
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