HIV Negative Couple Confused As Baby Tests Positive
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that A Edo couple, Mr. and Mrs. Praise Mumbor, have been left devastated and confused after discovering that their 19-month-old son, Jeremiah, tested positive for HIV—a condition they believe he contracted following blood transfusions at a private hospital in Benin City, Edo State.
According to the family, Baby Jeremiah was first admitted to Safe Bliss Medical Centre on February 6, 2025, with a high fever. Doctors at the facility diagnosed him with a critically low Packed Cell Volume (PCV) of 15 and recommended an urgent blood transfusion.
“I paid ₦40,000 for the blood,” Mr. Mumbor recounted. “He was transfused twice and discharged two days later.”
However, on May 5, 2025, Jeremiah fell ill again. Upon returning to the same hospital, doctors advised a second blood transfusion. Mr. Mumbor offered to donate his own blood but was told the laboratory staff needed for the screening had closed for the day. In a desperate bid to save his son, he paid ₦35,000 for another unit of blood.
Despite the treatments, Jeremiah’s health did not improve. He was eventually referred to Edo Specialist Hospital, where a series of screenings revealed the shocking news—Jeremiah is HIV-positive.
“We were stunned,” Mr. Mumbor said. “My wife and I were both tested multiple times and confirmed HIV-negative. So how did our baby contract the virus?”
A doctor at Edo Specialist Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the parents’ HIV-negative status and suggested that the infection may have been transmitted through the transfused blood.
“Given that both parents are HIV-negative and the child tested negative previously, the only plausible explanation is contaminated blood,” the doctor stated.
Mr. Mumbor, who described the incident as traumatic, has accused Safe Bliss Medical Centre of gross medical negligence and has vowed to pursue justice.
“My son turns two on September 28,” he lamented. “This has broken us emotionally. We are demanding accountability.”
In response, Dr. Adesotu Humphrey, a physician at Safe Bliss Medical Centre, maintained that all proper clinical protocols were followed before the transfusions. He also denied claims that the father was prevented from donating blood, and said that Jeremiah had tested negative for HIV prior to the transfusions.
Dr. Humphrey added that an internal investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the couple has submitted a formal petition to the Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Samson Osagie, seeking legal redress and calling for a thorough investigation into the incident. They say the ordeal has left them deeply traumatized and are pleading for justice for their son.
