How an infant was stabbed 600 times with a needle by a Chinese mother

A disturbing case has emerged from China’s Yunnan province after a mother allegedly pierced her 10-month-old child with a needle 600 times. Officials probing the matter confirmed that the mother, surnamed Dao, inflicted the ’needle’ in an attempt to treat the baby boy herself.

The doctor who treated the child revealed that when the baby misbehaved or showed signs of fever or cold, his mother stabbed him with needles as a form of punishment or folk remedy, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The incident has sparked a wave of online outrage.

Here’s what we know.

Chinese mother stabs infant with ’needle’

Spine Surgeon Dr Sui Wenyuan, an attending doctor at the Spine Centre of Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, posted a video online in which he recalled the horrific case of the 10-month-old.

Last year, on December 16, a baby boy was admitted complaining of fever and convulsions to the Paediatrics Department of the People’s Hospital of Mojiang County in Puer, Yunnan province, in southwestern China.

Wenyuan discovered that between 500 and 600 times, needles were inflicted on the 10-month-old by his mother, Dao.

In the most recent incident, she had inserted a needle meant for sewing shoe soles into the child’s neck, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). The needle broke inside and got stuck in the child’s neck near the cervical spine, requiring surgery.

The doctor also revealed that whenever the baby was disobedient or developed a cold or fever, his mother stabbed him with needles as a form of punishment or a supposed home remedy.

According to the doctor, the surgery was complicated as the parents were unsure about the needle’s precise shape and whether it contained barbs. Without proper information, extracting it in the wrong direction could have risked tearing other tissue and caused severe damage.

Wenyuan said, as quoted by a media outlet, “We completed all necessary tests and successfully performed the surgery on the same day as the consultation.”

“The child had a high fever, possibly due to rust on the needle. However, three to four days after the operation, his temperature dropped, and he was transferred out of intensive care,” the doctor added.

The Global Times reported that the baby was transferred to Kunming Children’s Hospital for surgery and treatment of an infection on December 22, 2025. He was discharged on Friday (January 9) in good health.

Authorities issue statements

On Wednesday (January 21), an official statement was issued by a joint investigation team of the Public Security Bureau, the health commission, the civil affairs department and the women’s federation.

They confirmed that the needle wounds on the baby’s body was cause by his mother. Authorities said that she used a traditional folk “needling” method and attempted to treat him herself.

Authorities revealed that Dao has limited health and scientific knowledge. She also had anxiety tendencies; however, she showed no psychotic symptoms. The mother is now under police investigation, Global Times reported.

Details about Dao and her husband have not been disclosed.

Mojiang county authorities also provided an update on the infant, saying he is “receiving rehabilitation care at a local medical facility under his father’s supervision.” Officials have assigned medical staff to provide rehabilitation, nutrition, and regular monitoring for his recovery, the outlet reported.

Internet explodes in outrage

The incident has ignited widespread fury across social media, with many now calling the mother “cruel.”

“How terrifying. I cannot believe someone could be this cruel in this day and age,” one angry user commented as quoted by SCMP.

“That child is so pitiful, born into the wrong family. Please do not let the biological parents raise him anymore,” another wrote.

“So heartless. She should have stabbed herself instead. Just imagine how much pain that tiny baby must have felt,” another user blasted the infant’s mother, the media outlet reported.

With inputs from agencies