Mother stabs 10-month-old baby with hundreds of needles for treatment

A 10-month-old boy in Yunnan province was hospitalized with approximately 600 needle marks across his body, after his mother reportedly believed in a folk "blood-letting" method to treat him whenever he cried.

On 21/1, authorities in Mojiang Autonomous County confirmed an investigation into the severe child abuse. The child is now out of critical condition and remains under hospital observation. The mother, suspected of having a mental disorder, has been admitted for mandatory medical treatment.

The 10-month-old boy with many needle marks across his body. Photo: Red Star News

Doctor Sui Wenyuan of the Spine Center, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, admitted the patient with a high fever. Examinations revealed 500 to 600 scabbed needle marks covering the child's head, torso, and limbs.

Crucially, doctors discovered a broken shoe-sewing needle lodged deep in the child's cervical spine. An emergency surgical team immediately operated to remove the foreign object. Doctor Sui noted this operation was exceptionally complex, as a 10-month-old's cervical spine is undeveloped and fragile, presenting risks significantly higher than for adults.

"Shoe-sewing needles often have barbs at the tip. If removed incorrectly, they can hook into soft tissues, causing extensive damage. Furthermore, the needle's end was close to the carotid artery; a small mistake could lead to the child's death on the operating table," doctor Sui shared on Douyin.

Fortunately, after the rusted needle's removal, the child's health improved significantly. After four days of treatment, the baby's fever subsided, and he was moved from the intensive care unit (ICU). Doctor Sui later removed the video sharing the case to aid the police investigation.

Initial statements indicated the mother believed in a misguided "blood-letting" method to treat illnesses. Whenever her son had a fever or cried, she reportedly used needles to stab the child's body to "detoxify" him.