Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

This newborn baby girl is fighting for her life after being abandoned for four days in a tree where maggots ate away huge chunks of her head.

The baby, who suffers from a rare disorder that has caused her to have an enlarged head, was found in the southern Vietnamese province of Lam Dong and is being treated at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in the island city-state of Singapore.

According to local media, baby Hoai An was left abandoned for four days before being rescued.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire & AsiaWire/give.asia

In that time, the poor infant was exposed to the elements and left with gaping wounds on her head after reportedly suffering a maggot infestation.

The baby girl was also badly burned and had red, scaly skin caused by exposure to the strong winds and sunshine.

A farmer heard the baby’s cries and rushed her to a nearby hospital where doctors removed the maggots and cleaned her gaping wounds.

The poor baby was also diagnosed with hydranencephaly, a rare condition that affects 1 in every 10,000 births where the brain’s hemispheres are largely absent and the remaining cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

The condition causes an enlarged head, seizures, paralysis and often blindness.

According to local media, a kindhearted Buddhist nun called Minh Tai agreed to adopt the baby and raised enough funds to send her to Singapore for treatment as the Vietnams hospital was unable to deal with such a complicated case.

Reports said that Hoai An has been in Singapore for nearly a month and medics are still working to drain the excess fluid from her brain.

As the tot continues to receive treatment, it is unclear whether the Vietnamese authorities are investigating her abandonment.