"Mermaid Girl" To Have Legs Split

Surgeons in Peru are preparing for an operation to separate the legs of a girl born with the rare condition "mermaid syndrome" or "sirenomelia". Nine-month-old Milagros Cerron has been dubbed the "little mermaid" because her fused legs resemble the tail of a fish. Usually babies with the condition die within days of birth. Milagros is one of only three known survivors. A medical team, led by surgeon Luis Rubio, will operate on the girl on 24 February in a hospital in Lima. The team includes trauma surgeons, plastic surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, neurologists, gynaecologists and a paediatrician, and the operation is expected to last five hours.