Last Updated on February 4, 2020
A Chinese teenager with severe cerebral palsy died after his father–who was also his sole carer–and brother were quarantined due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
Yan Cheng, 16, was found dead last Wednesday a week at his home in the Hubei province, in Hong’an County–roughly 60 miles north of Wuhan–after his family members had been quarantined.
Officials reported that Yan Cheng had only been fed twice in that week, while being left without food or water.
The teenager’s ability to move or communicate unaided were severely restricted, leaving him to require full-time care, reported SBS.
According to the BBC, both the Huajiahe town mayor and local Communist Party secretary have been dismissed over the incident, which has become a trending story on Chinese social media.
Yan Cheng’s father, Yan Xiaowen, had posted a desperate plea to Chinese social media site, Weibo, to secure help for his disabled son, informing social media users that he had been left without food, water, or care as he thought that local officials would be neglecting him.
Yan Xiaowen posted, according to SBS: “My eldest son has cerebral palsy, and can’t move his body. He can’t talk, he can’t look after himself.
“Without someone feeding him, and without a protective suit from the local authorities and hospital, I worry that my child can’t make it any longer.”
Following the shocking incident which has rocked China, officials have signaled their intention to conduct a full investigation into the matter.
Cerebral Palsy, according to the BBC:
…is the name for a group of conditions that appear in early childhood, and affect movement and co-ordination. Symptoms vary, and can include tremors, stiff or weak muscles, problems swallowing, and trouble with vision, speech and hearing. Those affected may be severely disabled.
