Ten-year-old boy dubbed ‘human snake’

**A ten-year-old boy has been dubbed the ‘human snake’ – due to a rare skin condition causes him to ‘shed’ his scaly skin…

Jagannath, of the Ganjam district of eastern India has suffered from the skin condition, lamellar ichthyosis, since he was born. According to reports in The Daily Mail and The Sun, the child (whose surname is unknown) is forced to bath several times a day and cover himself in moisturiser to try to ease the pain and discomfort of his extremely dry and scaly skin.

According to the US Department of Health’s list of rare diseases, “lamellar ichthyosis is a rare genetic condition that affects the skin. Infants affected by lamellar ichthyosis are generally born with a shiny, waxy layer of skin (called a collodian membrane) that is typically shed within the first two weeks of life. The skin beneath the collodian membrane is red and scaly.”

The skin condition affects very few people around the world and unfortunately has no cure. While there are known treatments that can help ease the symptoms, Jagannath’s father has told media that he doesn’t have the funds to help pay for the treatment as he earns very low wages as a local labourer on a paddy field.