A baby born with a rare disease that caused his head to swell to the size of a football has received aid from local authorities in southern Thailand.

The three-month-old infant, from Songkhla province, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus while he was still in the womb.

His mother Mayuenah Samataya, 39, chose to carry him to term despite doctors' warnings he would not survive longer than a week.

The infant was safely delivered in intensive care. Defying the bleak prognosis, he lived for three months but his cranium has rapidly ballooned with fluids, leaving his impoverished family unable to properly care for him.

Government officials, led by subdistrict chief Peerayuth Yeelah, visited Mayuenah's home on August 25 after seeing her online posts asking for donations.

They gave nappies, milk, rice, and dried food, and vowed to connect the home to a water supply, as the family had been collecting pond water to use.

Amani Sa-lae-rae, acting director of the Padang Besar Hospital Community Health Centre, said: 'A community health doctor will pay a visit to treat the child's head wound. Then, we will issue a disability card for the child, who currently only has a universal healthcare card.

'We only learned about the situation and met the child last week through a village health volunteer who was surveying the area.'

She added that the hospital will provide long-term care for the child, and assist Mayuenah in securing 'royal patronage patient' status, bestowed to underprivileged individuals who cannot afford treatment.

Mayuenah, a mother-of-five, said she was initially given the option to abort her baby after learning he had hydrocephalus.

She added: 'I was shocked, and the doctor asked me if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy. I talked it over with the family and in the end, we decided to go through with it, since it was a fifty-fifty chance of my son having hydrocephalus.'

Mayuenah said the boy was initially born with a normal head, but it quickly swelled in the weeks that followed.

She said: 'His condition has a significant impact on our daily life. While I'm at work, my mother takes care of him until I get home. I have to take money that was meant for my four other children's school expenses and divert it to pay for his milk and diapers.'

Social welfare agencies have provided initial support, with Mayuenah thanking officials and Good Samaritans for their generosity.

Hydrocephalus is a medical condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain, causing increased pressure inside the skull. It can lead to an enlarged head in infants and may result in developmental delays, vision problems, or brain damage if left untreated.