The United Nations has announced that November 24, 2024 will be World Conjoined Twins Day — to be observed each year, in an initiative by Saudi Arabia alongside representatives from Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is also hosting the first ever International Conjoined Twins Conference, "to shed light on success stories and challenges of conjoined twin separation and to discuss potential collaboration and recommendations", the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) said.
The conference aimed to unite global medical experts, representatives from humanitarian organisations worldwide and others knowledgeable of conjoined twins.
"The conference will also include a panel discussion titled Exploring the Multifaceted Impact of Separation on Conjoined Twins and Their Families, which will delve into the physiological, psychological, and social consequences of separation surgeries," KSrelief said.
Saudi Arabia has become a leader in the field of conjoined twin separation, with the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme successfully separating 61 pairs of twins.
New Zealand's most famous conjoined twins were successfully separated in a 2004 surgery at Waikato Hospital, led by paediatric surgeon Askar Kukkady.
The pair, Abbey and Sarah Hose, were joined at the hip prior to their separation and both went on to live healthy lives.
"Conjoined twins develop when an early embryo only partially separate to form two individuals. Although two babies develop from this embryo, they remain physically connected — most often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis. Conjoined twins may also share one or more internal body organs," according to the Mayo Clinic.
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