Boy “fishman”
Pan Xianhang, an 8-year-old boy from Wenling, China, was nicknamed “the fishman” because his head to toes were covered in thick, itchy scales. Pan Xianhang was diagnosed with congenital “ichtyosis” syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
With this disease, Pan has to live in agony, often suffering from overheating and extreme itching.
Liz Dale, a spokeswoman for the UK-based Ichthyosis Foundation, said: “There is no specific cure, only trying to moisturise and soften the skin using lotions. “
According to estimates by the Fish Scale Disease Support Fund and some other related skin diseases, every year more than 16,000 children are born with signs of this disease, to varying degrees. Pan’s case is considered serious.
In 2012, British channel Channel 5 aired a documentary called “Fishman Boy”, which told the story of Minh Anh, an 18-year-old orphan boy in Vietnam who is disabled and suffers from a condition similar to Pan Xianhang.