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This is the stomach-churning leech that was found to be growing inside a young boy’s throat causing him to drift in and out of consciousness.

Schoolboy Xiabo Chien frequently complained of a sore throat and found himself suffering dizzy spells.

Mum Xiang Tung, 33, said: "At first we thought he had flu as he said he was feeling dizzy and had a sore throat.

(Image: CEN)

"He hadn’t told us about the water-drinking so it never occurred to us that he may have picked up something.

"We gave him medication and kept him in bed but if anything it started getting worse, with him sometimes blacking out."

After the situation did not improve, the 11-year-old was taken to hospital where medics performed an x-ray and were stunned with what they discovered.

A hospital spokesman said: "We found that the boy had swallowed leech larvae and that it had lodged itself in his respiratory tract.

(Image: CEN)

"It had grown to 7cm, and every time it curled up it blocked his airway causing him to lose consciousness.

"It is most likely that it had moved from his gullet up to his throat so it could get air.

"Fortunately, it had not caused any infection and we were able to extract it without any complications and the boy is now feeling much better. If he had been older and enjoyed a glass of spirits it would probably have killed it."

(Image: CEN)

Medics say Xiaobo had probably been infected when walking home from school when he stopped to drink a some water from a pond on the side of the road.

The water had been collected by farmers to irrigate their fields in Huidong County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

As he recovered in hospital Xiaobo said: "I won’t be drinking water from a pond again."