British girl to undergo rare operation

Physicians at Cornell University's Weill Medical College in New York will drill several holes into the head of Jasmine Harris of London, Sky News reported Tuesday. Surgeons will then inject replacement genes into specific parts of her brain.

The child suffers from Late Infantile Batten's Disease, a disorder that has already left her older brother Jordan severely disabled.

She will be the eighth person in the world to undergo the 6-hour operation, without which she will become blind and unable to walk within a few years. The disease is often fatal.

Jasmine's parents, Mark and Tina Harris, say they hope the operation will save their daughter from the same suffering as her 7-year-old brother, who doctors fear is too ill to undergo such surgery.

Doctors say the operation has never been preformed on a child as healthy as Jasmine.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International