With the presence of more than 200 twins, Kodinhi , a village situated in Malappuram District in Kerala , India , is popularly known as the "Village of Twins".This phenomenon of large number of twin births is not only unique to Kodinhi.It has also observed in : (a) Cândido Godói , a municipality of 6,151 inhabitants in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil , (b) in Igbo Ora in Nigeria and also (c) in Hiệp Hưng in Vietnam .
a) Kodinhi/Kodinji : The village of twins in Kerala
The village entered the international spotlight when a survey done by locals found an unusually large number of twin births in the region. A report by The New Indian Express Staff Correspondent Mithosh Joseph from Malappuram had brought the attention of several people outside India to the attraction of the spot. His report had featured well the ongoing researches in the area, the total number of twins, the peculiarities of parents and a few other comments by doctors who studied the strange phenomenon. Though initial estimates put the instance of multiple births at 100 pairs, follow-up surveys found the figure to be closer to 204 pairs (408 individuals) of twins, and two sets of triplets.Despite several studies being conducted, the exact cause of this phenomenon is yet to be ascertained. Women from Kodinhi married off to far away places are also known to give birth to twins.According to doctors, this phenomenon is due to chemicals present in water in the Kodinhi area .According to locals, the oldest known twin pair in the village was born in 1949. The number of twin births in Kodinhi has been increasing over the years, with surveys showing over 79 pairs of twins within the age group of 0–10 years.
In 2008, around 30 pairs of twins from Kodinhi, along with their parents, got together to form The Twins and Kins Association, the first such association of twins in India.The forum, according to its founders, aims to bring to wider attention problems peculiar to people of multiple births, such as those concerning their education and health.
b) Cândido Godói in Brazil
The rate of twin births in Cândido Godói is 10%, significantly higher than the overall 1.8% rate for the state of Rio Grande do Sul. This rate is unusual, exceeding the highest observed national twinning rate (4.5 to 5% for southwestern Nigeria).Nearly half (8 of 17) of twins examined in one study were monozygotic (identical) twins, a few more than the average of 30%.Twin births were noted from the early twentieth century, when the first immigrants included seventeen sets of twins, and have been observed through several generations in the latter part of the twentieth century.
The population is largely of Polish or German ancestry, with many tracing ancestry to the Hunsrück region of Germany, which has a higher than average twinning rate. The rate in Cândido Godói could reflect genetic founder effect: rare genetic traits occurring by chance among a small group founding a community will be more common among their descendants than in the population at large.
Note : Founder Effect
c) Igbo Ora in Nigeria : The Twin Capital of the World
In Igbo-Ora, research has suggested that the multiple births could be related to the eating habits of the women in the region.Though no direct relation between dietary intake and twin births has been proven, a research study carried out at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital has suggested that a chemical found in Igbo-Ora women and the peelings of a widely consumed tuber (yams) could be responsible.
A possible explanation that the large number of twins being born here could simply be a matter of genetics
d) Hung Loc Commune in Vietnam
From the article: The hamlet of Twins ,
The high rate of twins in this area is not due to marriages between families who produce twins.In many families with twins the parents come from different regions of country with no background of twins in the family. It is a rumour that the water in this region consists of a special mineral that helps women get pregnant and produce twins.
What can be the reasons for such a phenomena? Is it just genetics or may because of some chemicals present over that particular area (what chemical)? What all ways this phenomenon can be beneficial (scope) ?
More Reference :
A Case Report : A Non-Identical Twin from the village of Twins with identical occlusal characteristics — A Non-Identical Twin from the village of Twins with identical occlusal characteristics
Website : International Journal of Health Sciences and Research (IJHSR)
Volume : 6 ; Issue : 10 ; October 2016
Pages : 260 - 264
Date of Publication : 05.10.2016
Corresponding Author : Praveen Jodalli
Abstract : Abstract of the case report
Accessed on : 20.11.2021
(Note : Based on Kodinhi/Kodinji village of Kerala only)
