Falak critical but infection under control: Doctors

New Delhi - Two-year-old battered baby Falak, who is fighting for survival at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) here, continues to remain critical and on life-support but doctors Wednesday said her blood and chest infections are under control.

"The two-year-old is fighting hard to survive, though she is critical. Falak is still battling because she is not malnourished, unlike many other children who usually come from the economically weaker sections," Deepak Agrawal, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, told IANS.

Agrawal, with a team of 10 resident doctors, is closely monitoring Falak for three weeks now.

"Though she was in a very bad shape, with a severe head injury and bite marks, she was not malnourished and appeared to be well fed," Agarwal said.

The doctor also said that antibiotics are clearing the infection to some extent.

"For the past eight days we are administering strong antibiotics. We added another new antibiotic Monday to handle the brain fluid infection. The antibiotics are working to some extent. The recent culture test reports have indicated that the infection in blood and chest are not increasing and they are under control," Agrawal said.

At the same time, the doctors did not rule out the chances of the two-year-old remaining in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.

"There are still 30-40 percent chances that she will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of her life due to her brain damage," the doctor added.

Falak was Jan 18 admitted to AIIMS with a fractured skull, bruises and human bite marks all over her body. A teenager, claiming to be her mother, admitted her to the hospital.

Police are probing the human trafficking and prostitution angle in the case. A total of eight people have been arrested so far.