Nine Premature Babies Born in Morocco Stable but Face Health Challenges

"It’s a source of pride for all of Morocco," said Youssef Alaoui, director of the clinic, in a statement to Associated Press, adding that "now the challenge is to get these babies out healthy." According to a doctor at this clinic, Cissé’s 9 babies are stable but fragile. And Khalil Msaif, a pediatric neonatologist at the clinic, noted that "these are very immature babies. They have deficiencies in everything - in the lungs, the head, the heart."

This does not diminish the optimism of the staff about the future of the nonuplets. "Since birth, we are in the third week and the babies’ condition is stable [...]. We hope everything will be fine," said Msaif. Since the 1970s, the kingdom has recorded only two other nonuplets. But all had died within a few days, according to reports.

To recall, Halima Cissé gave birth to five girls and four boys, at the beginning of the current month in Morocco, after being transferred there by the Malian government for specialized care. At birth, the babies weighed between 500 grams and 1 kilogram.