Pak Boys Active Every Day, Paralysed Every Night, Doctors Confused

Despite extensive testing, the cause of the boys’ condition has not been discovered.

The medical case of two Pakistani brothers - Shoaib Ahmed and Abdul Rasheed has left doctors without answers.

The two boys aged nine and thirteen hail from a village in Quetta and are perfectly normal, active kids during the day but as soon as the sun sets, the two are rendered unable to move, eat or even talk. They remain in a vegetative state till the sun rises the next morning.

Termed as “solar kids”, the boys’ case has been investigated by doctors who have not seen such a condition in their careers.

Javed Akram, a professor of medicine at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Associated Press that he had no idea what was causing the symptoms.

We took this case as a challenge. Our doctors are doing medical tests to determine why these kids remain active in the day but cannot open their eyes, why they cannot talk or eat when sun goes down,” he said, as he visited the pair at his hospital.

Javed Akram, Professor of medicine, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences

The boys are undergoing extensive medical testing in the capital, Islamabad, and their blood sample have been sent to overseas specialists for further examination.

Since the family is financially weak, the government has offered to pay for their tests and treatments.

The boys’ parents are first cousins and two of their six children died at an early age. Neither of their other two children have displayed similar symptoms.

I think my sons get energy from sun.

Mohammed Hashim, Father of the “solar kids”

After the boys were kept in a dark room during the day and still managed to be active, doctors have rubbished the idea that that they derive energy from the sun.

The boys have managed to remain optimistic and ambitious and refuse to allow their condition to hold them back. 13-year old Shoaib wants to be a teacher while his brother Abdul hopes to be an Islamic Scholar.

(This story was produced in an arrangement with Associated Press)