KERALA, India – Baffled doctors are trying to unravel the mystery of an Indian village boasting more than 220 sets of twins born to just 2 000 families.Experts who have visited the remote tropical village of Kodinhi, in Kerala, have been left scratching their heads over the phenomenon that has seen almost six times as many twins born than the global average.In 2008 alone 15 pairs of twins were born in the village out of 300 healthy deliveries, and this year is expected to top that number.In the last five years alone, up to 60 pairs of twins have been born.Local doctor and twin enthusiast Dr Krishnan Sribiju has been studying the medical marvel of Kodinhi for the past two years.Although 220 sets of twins have been officially registered in the village, Sribiju believes the real number to be far higher.“What is fascinating is the increasing numbers of twins with each passing year, so much so that I feel in the past ten years the number of twins in Kodinhi has doubled,”he said. Sribiju, 40, can barely contain his excitement discussing the possible scientific implications of the village.“To the best of my knowledge, this medical marvel began somewhere between 60 and 70 years ago. Without access to detailed biochemical analysis equipment I cannot say for certain what the reason for the twinning is, but I feel that it is something to do with what the villagers eat and drink.“If that is the case, then maybe whatever is causing this exceptional level of twinning can be bottled and provide help for infertile couples,” he said. Categorising the twin phenomenon as a naturally occurring anomaly, Sribiju has ruled out genetic factors as the cause.He also dismisses any suggestion that the unusual level of twins could be caused by an unknown pollutant pointing to the high number of twins born without any deformities.“There are lots of reasons for twins, but let me explain the underlying uniqueness of Kodinhi,” said Sribiju. “The number of twins per thousand here is around 45 per 1 000 births. Indian, and by that I mean Asian, people on the subcontinent have the lowest acknowledged incidences of twinning in the world at around four per thousand. (Daily Mail)
Twins walking down a street in the village of Kodinhi in the Malapuram district of the southern state of Kerala, where there are reportedly more than 220 pairs of twins. (GP)
