600 stab wounds on a 10-month baby: Infant rushed to hospital after mother uses 'needling' folk therapy

A shocking incident of child abuse surfaced recently involving a 10-month-old baby. Covered in needle marks, the infant had to be rushed to hospital for treatment. Spine Surgeon Dr Sui Wenyuan documented the harrowing case through a video posted online, South China Morning Post reported.

Describing the gravity of the wounds the child endured allegedly at the hands of his abusive mother, the doctor said that baby boy was admitted to southwestern China's People’s Hospital, located in Yunnan province, on 16 December 2026. The child arrived at the Paediatrics Department of the hospital with numerous puncture wounds and dark scabs across the boy’s feet, head and torso.

When admitted, the baby was suffering from fever and convulsions, the doctor employed at the Spine Centre of Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine noted. Recounting the events of the nerve-wracking case he encountered during a paediatric consultation, Sui Wenyuan revealed that the baby seemed to have been stabbed anywhere between 500 to 600 times.

According to the doctor, the baby boy's mother used to puncture him with needles as a form of punishment for misbehaviour. Suggesting it to be associated with superstitious beliefs, the folk remedy involved gruesome practice of drawing blood whenever the baby developed a cold or fever.

The abuse followed over time, but the latest mishap forced the mother to seek help from a physician. to run to the hospital. In the most spine-chilling recent incident, Dao inserted a needle, typically used for sewing shoe soles, into the child’s neck.

The tip of the needle broke inside the body and became embedded in the cervical spine. The removal of rusty shard required surgery. “We completed all necessary tests and successfully performed the surgery on the same day as the consultation,” the publication quoted the doctor as saying.

Suggesting that the child's condition improved after the surgery, Sui Wenyuan said, “The child had a high fever, possibly due to rust on the needle. However, three to four days after the operation, his temperature dropped and he was transferred out of intensive care.”

The report alleged lack of education and scientific knowledge for the mother's sinister behaviour, who showed signs of emotional anxiety.

A joint investigation was conducted to probe the incident of child abuse. An official statement was released on January 21 by the investigation team, comprising the Public Security Bureau, health commission, civil affairs department and a women’s federation. It confirmed that the needle wounds on the boy’s body were inflicted by his mother. According to the statement, the boy's mother had attempted to treat the baby herself using a traditional folk “needling” method.