Chinese baby stabbed hundreds of times with needles by mother, shocking doctors

A Chinese woman reportedly stabbed her baby hundreds of times with needles. (Pic for representation)

A disturbing case of child abuse has emerged from southwest China after a 10-month-old baby was hospitalised with hundreds of needle wounds allegedly inflicted by his own mother, triggering widespread public outrage.

According to South China Morning Post, the infant was rushed to a hospital in Yunnan province after developing a high fever and convulsions. Doctors later discovered that his body was covered with puncture marks, revealing a prolonged pattern of abuse rather than a one-time incident.

The publication reported that the details of the case came to light after a video was shared online by Dr Sui Wenyuan, an attending spine surgeon at Shanghai’s Xinhua Hospital. In the video, Dr Sui described the shocking condition of the child during a paediatric consultation.The baby boy was reportedly admitted to the People’s Hospital of Mojiang County in Pu’er on December 16 last year. While examining the child, medical staff found numerous wounds across his head, feet and torso, many of them covered with dark scabs, indicating repeated injuries over time.

Dr Sui revealed that the child’s mother, identified by her surname Dao, allegedly stabbed the infant with needles whenever he cried, misbehaved or showed signs of illness such as fever or a cold. She reportedly claimed this was either a form of punishment or a traditional folk remedy meant to draw blood. Based on the number of wounds, doctors estimated that the child may have been punctured between 500 and 600 times. In the most severe incident, Dao allegedly inserted a thick sewing needle, commonly used for shoe soles, into the baby’s neck. The needle snapped, leaving its tip lodged in the child’s cervical spine.

The embedded needle required emergency surgery. Doctors said the procedure was particularly risky because the parents were unable to describe the needle’s exact structure or whether it had barbs, raising the risk of further internal damage during removal.

Despite the complications, surgeons completed all necessary tests and successfully operated on the child the same day. The baby was suffering from a high fever, possibly caused by infection or rust from the needle. His condition stabilised within days, and he was later moved out of intensive care.

On January 21, a joint investigation team involving China police, health authorities, civil affairs officials and the women’s federation released an official statement confirming that the needle injuries were caused by the mother. The team said Dao had used a traditional “needling” practice in an attempt to treat the child herself. Authorities described Dao as poorly educated and lacking basic scientific or medical knowledge, adding that she showed signs of emotional distress and anxiety