Seven Vietnamese brides-to-be had their plans to wed Taiwanese nationals shattered yesterday after they tested positive for HIV during pre-marriage physical exams in Vietnam.
Since the government prohibits HIV or AIDS carriers from entering Taiwan, the seven Taiwanese grooms, who tested negative, are likely destined to break off their engagements.
The men reportedly went to Vietnam exclusively to find brides.
According to the Department of Health's Center for Disease Control (CDC), several people were diagnosed as HIV-carriers during recent physical examinations for the would-be brides conducted in Vietnam's Ho Chi Min City.
All of those diagnosed as HIV-positive were under 23, had low educational backgrounds and had engaged in pre-marital sex.
And while the seven Taiwanese nationals tested negative, they remain in what is known as a window period.
The window period lasts anywhere from six weeks to a year or more, and encompasses the stage when one has become infected with HIV but has yet to produce antibodies to fight the disease. If one is tested while in this window period, the test could bring back a false negative.
For this reason the men have been told to get periodic HIV tests over the next few years.
According to information given by the CDC, there are currently 352 foreigners in Taiwan who are HIV positive. Among those, 64 were married to Taiwanese nationals.
"Among the partners of the 64 people who are HIV positive, 18 Taiwanese husbands contracted the disease from their foreign wives, while one Taiwanese wife contracted the disease from her foreign husband," said Ou Nai-ming (歐乃銘), a section chief at the CDC.
According to the CDC, when Taiwanese nationals marry Vietnamese brides, they most often like to have the marriage ceremony and their first night as husband and wife in Vietnam before registering the marriage with authorities and applying for entry to Taiwan.
Vietnamese authorities require an HIV test for marriage registrations. The Taiwan authorities also demand that foreign spouses who wish to apply for visas for more than 180 days in Taiwan submit an HIV test issued within the last three months.
Citing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in some Southeast Asian countries, Ou urged Taiwanese nationals to make certain to use condoms when engaging in sexual activity with their foreign brides.
"To those who still wish to marry foreign brides, we advise that it is best to wait and see the woman's test results before engaging in sexual contact with them," Ou said.
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