LIMA: A Peruvian baby born with a rare defect in which her legs were fused was making good progress six months after undergoing risky surgery to separate them, her doctor said on Tuesday.

Believed to be one of the world's only surviving "mermaid syndrome" babies most infants with the sirenomelia syndrome die within hours 19-month-old Milagros Cerron grabbed her toes and kicked her legs in a Lima hospital at her first public presentation since the bandages from her June operation were removed.

Dressed in tiny jeans and a white vest, Milagros, whose names means miracles in Spanish, underwent two operations that have only be tried a handful of times to first part her knees and then her thighs.

Sixteen-year-old Tiffany Yorks of the United States, whose legs were parted when she was a baby, has said she believes she is the only survivor of the "mermaid syndrome."

Many born with the defect the odds of which are 1-in-60,000 to 1-in-100,000 lack kidneys and most die soon after birth.

Luis Rubio, who has cared for Milagros since she was two days old, said one of the most gratifying aspects of having helped Milagros is the "multiplying effect" the publicity about her surgery has had in helping to encourage parents to bring in children with congenital deformations for treatment.

"Milagros' condition is stable, but she'll need continued treatment and surgery for the next 10 to 15 years," Rubio said.

The city of Lima has pledged to pay for several ensuing operations and that are Milagros only chance of a normal life.

Her genital reconstruction, for instance, will probably wait until adolescence, Rubio said.

She has been attempting to stand up, Rubio said, but is unable to maintain stability because she has no sockets for her hip bones. Initially after the operation, he had said he hoped to see her walking within two years, but on Tuesday he was cautious about making predictions.

"I dream that one day she will be able to walk, but we must see how nature adapts to the surgery," Rubio said, holding her up and allowing Milagros' legs to take some of her weight.

Weighing 9 kilograms and 70 centimetres tall, Milagros is small for her age. Milagros was born in April 2004 in the Andean town of Huancayo and her mother had no ultrasound scan so Milagros' appearance was a total shock.

"But we're so delighted now. We hope one day she'll be able to walk, to play in the park, to go to university," said Milagros' father, Ricardo Cerron.

Before her operation, the baby girl's abdomen flowed seamlessly into her legs, trapped in a sack of tissue and fat down to her heels. Her feet were splayed in a "V" like a mermaid's tail.

Source: China Daily