Vietnamese brides pose AIDS risk to China

As more young low-income men in China marry Vietnamese wives, cross-border marriages may transfer fatal diseases along with happiness, Xiamen-based fjsen.com said, citing official data.

Vietnamese brides have a high infection rate of AIDS, the Xiamen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said on Sunday, World AIDS Day, adding that six of 1,250 Vietnamese brides have been diagnosed with AIDS in the tri-city area of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, from January to October this year.

Husbands of the Vietnamese brides, who are often troubled by language barriers and concern over whether their brides would run away, end up neglecting the necessary health checks.

China.org.cn reported that a man in Quanzhou city, along with his two sons, were found to have been infected with AIDS by his Vietnamese bride, who died two years after the marriage.

Health experts warned that men should restrain from having sexual contact with their foreign wives if they are not sure whether they carry HIV, the report said.

Two-thirds of foreign brides in China come from Vietnam, according to data.