The Edo State Government has stated that preliminary investigations into the case of a 19-month-old reportedly infected with HIV through blood transfusions at a private hospital in Benin City have shown that the donors of the transfused blood tested negative for the virus.

This twist comes two weeks after the state government as part of investigation sealed Safe Bliss Medical Centre alleged to have given the baby HIV contaminated blood.

The State Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Adams Oshiomhole stated this while fielding questions from our reporter in Benin City.

He noted that the owner of the hospital Safe Bliss Medical Centre alleged to have transfused the baby with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) “infected” blood is cooperating with investigators at the ministry.

“The investigation we are doing currently, the CMD of the hospital is talking to us and he is ready to provide us the donors of the blood, they are still alive and they are HIV negative. Though we have not finalized our investigation but what we know as at today is that the donors are HIV negative”, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole said.

The Edo State Honourable Commissioner for Health also said that the child is a sickle cell patient as he may have undergone multiple blood transfusions before visiting Safe Bliss Medical Centre.

“I think the child is a sickle cell child that has done so many transfusions. If you have done 30 or 40 transfusions in the past and the last one the donors were negative, so we don’t really know, we’re still doing our investigation.

“As a Sickle cell patient, he is always undergoing blood transfusion, so we have to narrow it down, not just the last transfusions at the hospital. But that hospital is not registered by us, that one too is another offence”, the Commissioner noted.

On how the hospital was able to identify and track the said blood donors after it earlier claimed that the blood was sourced from a blood bank, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole said, “I will find out and get back to you”.

He said further that medical records available to the investigators revealed that the child is a sickle cell patient, HIV positive, his parents and the donors are HIV negative as the Ministry wants to know where and how the child got infected.

Heartbroken father of the 19-month-old baby Mr. Praise Mumbor expressed reservations at the conclusion of the Commissioner that his child is a sickle cell child without conducting any laboratory test.

“Nobody from the ministry has called us for any test. No one has even asked how our baby is doing. The claim that he is a sickle cell child is laughable and to say the least, is complicating our travails and falls short of my expectations from the Ministry.

“It tells me that the Ministry of Health is relying on hospital records from a facility they admit is not licensed to operate, if that is the nature of their inquiry, it is most unfortunate. However, no laboratory tests results have shown that my baby is sickle cell and he has never been given blood before, besides I don’t even know any other hospital that time”, Mr. Praise Mumbor stated.

The child Jeremiah Mumbor’s medical records including results of genotype conducted by reputable laboratories obtained did not indicate that he is a sickle cell child as posited by the honourable Commissioner for Health, Edo State.

Recall that the father of the baby, Mr. Mumbor Praise 23, had alleged that Safe Bliss Medical Centre, Benin City infected his baby with HIV through blood transfusions earlier this year.

He stated that his 19-month-old son, Jeremiah was rushed to the hospital when he developed a high fever as the attending doctor diagnosed him with dangerously low blood levels and ordered a blood transfusion as part of emergency treatment.

According to Mr. Mumbor, Jeremiah underwent two separate blood transfusions at Safe Bliss Medical Centre. The first occurred on February 6, 2025, when the baby’s Packed Cell Volume (PCV) reportedly dropped to 15.

“I paid ₦40,000 for the blood because I didn’t want my baby to die. They transfused him twice, and after two days, he was discharged,” he narrated.
The second transfusion followed when the child fell ill again on May 5, 2025.

Mr. Mumbor said he initially offered to donate his own blood, but was denied by the doctor.

However, Dr. Adesotu Humphrey of Safe Bliss Medical Centre said all clinical protocols for blood transfusion were painstakingly observed before the transfusions were performed on the baby.

Dr. Adesotu further explained that the child tested negative for HIV in the facility before the blood transfusions as Safe Bliss Medical Centre gets its blood from a blood bank.

He however disputed the claim by Mr. Praise Mumbor that he was not allowed to donate blood to his son by a doctor on duty in the facility.