Five-day-old baby treated for chemical exposure in Syria

A family of four, including a five-day-old baby girl and a three-year-old girl , are being treated for symptoms of exposure to chemical agents in northern Syria.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed the family arrived at the hospital in Aleppo one hour after the attack, suffering from respiratory difficulties, inflamed skin, red eyes and conjunctivitis.

Within three hours they developed blisters and their respiratory difficulties worsened.

According to MSF, the family came from the town of Marea, in Azaz district, north of Aleppo, which had been under intense bombardment by mortars and artillery for a week.

The children’s parents said that a mortar shell hit their home at about 7.30pm on August 21st. They said after the explosion, a yellow gas filled their livingroom.

Neighbours raised the alarm and they were taken to Marea hospital, where they received first aid care. With their condition deteriorating, they were referred to MSF’s hospital.

"MSF has no laboratory evidence to confirm the cause of these symptoms," said programme manager Pablo Marco in a statement.

“However, the patients’ clinical symptoms, the way these symptoms changed over time, and the patients’ testimony about the circumstances of the poisoning all point to exposure to a chemical agent.”

It has been reported that opposition rebels and local residents have accused Islamic State militants of carrying out the attack.