US sanctions hurt Iran's 'butterfly kids'

TEHERAN — As if suffering from one of the rarest skin disorders ever known is not already painful enough for 7-year-old Mohammad Rezaei, the inhumane US sanctions are also rubbing salt into wounds.

Epidermolysis bullosa, or EB, is a rare genetic condition that causes fragile blistering skin. EB patients are often referred to as "butterfly children" because their skin is as fragile as a butterfly's wings. The blisters may appear in response to a minor injury, even from heat, rubbing or scratching. The disorder is so painful that patients tend to liken their skin's burning sensation to that experienced under third-degree burns.

What makes the story of Iranian EB patients even more heartbreaking is that a significant portion of them are children like Rezaei.