As the world’s attention turns to Zika virus-related deaths, a new phenomenon is spreading across the internet.
An epidemic of down syndrome is spreading like wildfire across social media and the internet, with some calling it the greatest hoax since the “The Matrix” movie.
A woman in New Jersey says her son had Down syndrome and he died on Feb. 8.
She posted a picture of the dead baby on Facebook.
The photo was shared over 1,600 times, and the comment section was filled with outrage.
People were outraged.
They posted pictures of the baby’s head and crying and asked if anyone would like to donate to his family.
The mother, who didn’t want to be identified by name, said she got the picture from Facebook after she went to see the baby at his hospital.
“It’s like I had the worst nightmare, like, ‘Is this real?'” the woman told ABC News.
She said her son was diagnosed with Down syndrome at 6 years old and that he was told he had the disease for the rest of his life.
He was sent to a hospital for six months with a CT scan to see if there was a tumor, and doctors found nothing.
Doctors say the baby had a rare genetic condition called Down syndrome.
It can cause brain and spinal cord damage and developmental delays.
The woman was devastated.
Now she is looking for help from the internet and her friends to help pay for her son’s funeral.
“My boyfriend and I have been trying to make it pay off, but I’ve never really gotten anywhere, so I have to figure out what to do,” she said.
While the internet has helped people connect, it’s also helped people who might not have the means or resources to do it themselves.
ABC News asked more than a dozen social media users what they would do to help support the woman and her family.
Some said they would donate to a cause they believe in.
“I would definitely donate to the medical team, I would definitely go on Reddit and say ‘Hi, I’m the same person who posted this picture,’ and just be like, what are you going to do for me?” said a user who goes by the name “TheFlex.”
“I can help them with a lot of things, so they can take care of this,” another user named “Shirley” wrote.
Some users suggested they could help their friends out.
“If anyone can take some money, or just donate, I’d be up for that, too,” said another user, named “Sara” by the user name “Gee”.
Another person, named Gee by the username “Travis”, wrote, “I would absolutely be open to donating.
I’m not a doctor, but the doctors I’ve seen have been extremely supportive.”
Others suggested giving to a nonprofit organization.
“It might be something I can help with, but it would be awesome if they could just give money to the cause they are supporting,” one user named Ryan wrote.
“People want to help the cause,” another person named “Rachael” wrote, adding, “If I could just donate a few bucks, I wouldn’t be doing anything wrong.”
“The Internet can be an amazing tool to help people,” said the founder of Down Syndrome International, which is trying to help with the case.
“The fact that it’s the Internet can actually make it easier to help others.
People can see it and help each other out.
The more people you can help, the more you’ll see.”
A Facebook page called Down Syndrome Rising has nearly 2,000 members, including a group of parents who are sharing their stories of support and are offering financial and other help.
A group called Downs Syndrome Rising was created to raise awareness of the case of a Down Syndrome baby who died in New York last month.
In March, Down Syndrome United, a nonprofit advocacy group, released a video that aired online to encourage people to donate.
“Our message is that it is not a question of if we’ll ever have a cure for Down syndrome, but when,” the video said.
“Our message to the world is that if we want to prevent this from happening to anyone else, we have to do everything in our power to prevent it.”