In the Kodinhi village in rural Kerala, 500 pair of twins were born to just 2,000 families over the past 65 years, which is six times the global average.
Scientists are now trying to unravel the mystery of phenomenal twins’ birth in this remote tropical village.
In 2008 alone, of 300 healthy deliveries, 15 pairs of twins took birth in the village, a rate at least six times higher than the average for the country. It is expected that this year’s figure will top that number.
What baffles scientists
What amazes the scientists most is that the number of twins is increasing with each passing year.
"What is fascinating is the increasing numbers of twins with each passing year, so much so that I feel in the past 10 years the number of twins in Kodinhi has doubled,” said Krishnan Sribiju, a dermatologist and public health specialist at the Tirurangadi Taluk hospital.
Sribiju has been trying to find out the cause behind this phenomenal birth of twins for the past two years but has not been yet able to pinpoint any scientific reason for the phenomenon.
Probable causes and hypothesis
Although it still remains a mystery why there are so many sets of twins in the village, Sribiju feels that what the villagers eat and drink could be the reason.
"We are working on a hypothesis that it is something in nature, or in the water or the sand. We do not think it is something in the food because they don't have something particular that they eat. There are thousands of heavy metals that could be in the water and affecting the people but it takes a long time to work out. It is very difficult," said Sribiju.
He also ruled out the high rate of intermarriage among the predominantly Muslim population as the reason behind the enormous twinning.
"It is not limited to Muslim families. It is also seen in Hindus and Christians and it does not affect Muslim communities elsewhere. This is a very small geographical area measuring 3km to 4km. It is likely to be something external not genetic," he said.
Besides genetics and pollutants, Sribiju ruled out that in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment could be the cause as it is too expensive for the villagers.
Sribiju said he believes the number of twins is higher than the village has officially registered. "In my medical opinion there are around 300 to 350 twins within the village boundaries of Kodinhi," many of whom aren't registered.
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