Newborn with rare craniofacial condition dies after birth in Erbil

ERBIL — A newborn with a rare craniofacial condition involving two facial structures died shortly after birth on Tuesday at a private hospital in Erbil, hospital staff confirmed. The child’s twin, delivered during the same birth, survived and remains under medical observation.

“This afternoon, there was a twin birth, and one of the infants was born with two faces,” a hospital representative told 964media by phone. The infant with the abnormality was pronounced dead shortly after delivery, while the surviving twin is being closely monitored by medical staff.

Doctors had identified the condition during a prenatal examination four months ago and determined that one of the twins was nonviable. However, due to the stable condition of the mother and the continuing development of the pregnancy, physicians opted to monitor the case rather than intervene early.

Craniofacial duplication, also known as diprosopus, is an extremely rare congenital disorder often associated with conjoined twinning. Most cases are not compatible with life.

A similar case occurred on Sept. 1, 2024, at Al-Qaim Hospital in Anbar governorate, where a baby was born with two heads attached to a single body.