Srinagar, March 21 -- "We couldn't believe it," said Rizwan, 44, a resident of North Kashmir's Bandipora district. "The doctors mentioned that while late marriage can be a factor, there are other causes of Down syndrome as well," Rizwan added.

Health experts explain that DS occurs when the fertilized egg carries three copies of Chromosome 21 instead of the usual two.Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes, chromosome 21. A medical term for having an extra copy of a chromosome is 'trisomy.' Down syndrome is also referred to as Trisomy 21.

This extra copy changes how the baby's body and brain develop, which can cause both mental and physical challenges for the...