ISLAMABAD
- The two brothers have come to be known as the "solar kids" and their
case has completely mystified Pakistani doctors.
Aged
nine and 13, the boys are normal active children during the day. But
once the sun goes down, they both lapse into a vegetative state — unable
to move or talk. Javed Akram, a professor of medicine at the Pakistan
Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Associated Press on Thursday
that he had no idea what was causing the symptoms.
"We
took this case as a challenge. Our doctors are doing medical tests to
determine why these kids remain active in the day but cannot open their
eyes, why they cannot talk or eat when sun goes down," he said, as he
visited the pair at his hospital.
Akram said the government was providing free medical care to the siblings, who come from an impoverished family.
The
brothers are undergoing extensive medical testing in the capital,
Islamabad, and samples of their blood have been sent to overseas
specialists for further examination, he said. Researchers are also
collecting soil and air samples from the family's home village.
Mohammad
Hashim, the father of the two brothers, comes from a village near
Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province. He and his
wife are first cousins and two of their six children died at an early
age. Their other two children have not displayed any unusual symptoms.
His simple theory: "I think my sons get energy from sun."
But
doctors have already dismissed the idea that sunlight plays a role,
noting that the boys can move during the day even when kept in a dark
room or during a rainstorm.
During
the day, 13-year old Shoaib Ahmed and his brother Abdul Rasheed did
indeed seem normally active, energetic and cheerful as they emerged from
their hospital room on Friday and walked to a nearby canteen to have
tea.
"I will become a teacher," Shoaib Ahmed told the AP, while his younger brother said he wants to be an Islamic scholar.
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