The child, from Leshan city in Sichuan province, south-west China, was diagnosed with a rare skin disease called Giant Congenital Nevus, which is a dark coloured, often hairy, patch of skin that usually continues to grow with the child, reports The People’s Daily Online.

Footage showing a medical examination of the unnamed boy - whose upper back is covered by a think layer of hair - has emerged online.

Zhang Daojiang, the boy’s father, is a construction worker and his mother works in a small restaurant in the city. 

They married early 2014 and not long after they had their little boy, making them extremely happy.

When he was born, they discovered his face, neck, hands, back and buttocks completely covered with dark hairy moles. 

As he grew, so did the moles on his skin, which soon became rough and fury.

They took their boy to a hospital in Leshan which specialises in skin conditions and birthmarks on children.

There they were told by a doctor called Zhing Yi that the child was suffering from the congenital skin disease, and the chances of this happening to a newborn baby are one in two million.

In Chinese, the disease is translated as ‘beast skin mole’ (shou pi zheng). 

Doctor Zhang also told them as the boy develops the disease could lead to skin cancer, so he needed treatment immediately. 

He had great hopes for a cure, but the treatment requires a long process, a minimum of three years.

The cost of his treatment will amount to around one million Yuan (£100,000) which is a considerably large amount of money for a waitress and a construction worker where they live. 

According to the report, the couple have a very limited amount of money and cannot afford the medical fees. 

They have already spent all their savings this year to get their child seen by a doctor for diagnoses.

His grandparents live on a farm and do not earn a lot of money, they are unable to help with the cost. 

Some the villagers from where they live helped with the funds to get him to the hospital for treatment. 

It's reported that the young boy’s father almost gave him up to an orphanage because he could not bear the cost of medical bills, but a relative helped him out so they didn’t lose him. 

It is unclear whether or not the boy will go through with the three years of treatment.

(Daily Mail)