A newborn baby is receiving treatment after surviving for up to five days in a drain in Sydney, Australia. How is that possible, asks Justin Parkinson.
The baby boy, who was found 2.5m (8ft) down a stormwater drain by the side of a road after passing cyclists heard him crying, is being treated for dehydration and malnutrition.
Dr Simon Newell, vice-president of UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, describes the reports that he is alive after remaining there alone for up to five days as "absolutely amazing".
He says newborn babies are designed to survive a few days without much in the way of nutrients, as they adapt to the initial difficulties of breastfeeding. They have reserves of fluids and body sugars to keep them going during this period. This means babies do not need many extra fluids for the first four days or so of life in normal conditions.
But it is unlikely the boy could have survived as long as five days in abnormal conditions, such as a drain, without access to any water or nutrients, according to Newell. He suggests the information about when the baby was left in the drain could be inaccurate.
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