A man was told "completely out of the blue" that his six-year-old son who had haemophilia was HIV-positive, the tribunal heard yesterday.
The man, taking the pseudonym Arthur, was speaking on behalf of his son, John, also not his real name. Arthur said he was not aware his son had been tested for HIV and hepatitis C. He said John was born in 1979 in a local hospital. John was treated for haemophilia locally and in Dublin.
As he grew up he was treated with Factor 8 on a regular basis. Prof Ian Temperley had said now they had Factor 8, there was no reason why their little boy should not lead a normal life.
When John was about four, he had a brain operation for a haemorrhage. He was treated with massive doses of Factor 8. Two years later, in 1985, Arthur was told his son was HIV-positive.
"He was about six years old. One day, at a routine meeting, my wife and myself were with Prof Temperley and he told us completely out of the blue that yes, your boy is HIV-positive," Arthur said. "Well, I tell you, it came as a shock to me and a worse shock for my wife . . . in her mind HIV equalled AIDS and AIDS equalled death and she got very upset."
In 1995, Arthur was at St James's Hospital - he had heard about hepatitis C - and he asked the sister in the haemophilia clinic was his son hepatitis C positive, and she said he was.
"This happened in the course of a routine six-monthly haemophilia visit. I wasn't aware if he'd been tested. It was an utter replay of the HIV situation." he said.