![]() Leaders at the department, Price added, have "directly engaged with affected employees around the world to hear firsthand of their experiences." He added that the department was working on partnering with a health agency to assist "any employees that may need extended care. In his Monday press briefing, Price said the unexplained health incidents have been a priority for Secretary of State Anthony Blinken since even before he came to office in January, when he requested a briefing on the situation during the transition between the Trump and Biden administrations. While the cases of the mysterious illness have reportedly cropped up in a range of locations, a source told CNN that Vienna is the only place where there is currently a cluster of cases among U.S. RELATED: ABC News Reporter Goes Viral for Asking Putin About His Silenced Critics: 'What Are You So Afraid Of?' raising the prospect of a form of weapon being used for attacks on US government officials. Undercover CIA agents working in other countries have also reportedly experienced the symptoms, which include headaches, memory loss and nausea.Ī number of the cases began in a similar fashion, with Neurology Today reporting that victims first heard strange grating noises, similar to what occurs when driving a car with the window partially rolled down, before experiencing the other symptoms later.ĭoctors and scientists have speculated that the symptoms could be the result of microwave weapons, which can cause sonic delusions and brain damage. The FBI has warned its employees about Havana Syndrome. diplomats in China reported similar problems. reduced staff at its embassy in Cuba in response to the cases and in 2018, U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in the country began experiencing symptoms consistent with those who suffer from brain injuries. The mysterious situation in Vienna mirrors a series of incidents in Cuba, where the so-called "Havana Syndrome" has confounded researchers since late 2016, when U.S. Price added that State Department leadership has "engaged in a number of communications" with those working in places where the illnesses have been reported, "to make sure they know the options that are available to them." Warns 'There Will Be Consequences' If Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies embassy community there," Price said, "and we're also doing that wherever these incidents are reported." The official added that "any employees who reported a possible UHI received immediate and appropriate attention and care".Īmong other steps, the US has already set up a team of medical experts that can address these problems globally and is working to "better protect against these events in the future", the official added.Īustria hosts a large corps of foreign diplomats working at several Vienna-based UN and other international organisations."When it comes to Vienna, in coordination with our inter-agency partners we are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents among the U.S. The safety of the diplomats sent to Austria and their families is our top priority," it said without giving further details.Ī US State Department spokesperson said they were "vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents (UHI) among the US Embassy Vienna community or wherever they are reported". The New Yorker reported on Friday that since Joe Biden took office this year, about two dozen US intelligence officers, diplomats and other government officials in Vienna have reported problems similar to the "Havana syndrome".Īustria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was "working with the US authorities on a joint investigation in accordance with our role as the host state". Since the first attacks were reported in Cuba in 2016, and after that in China, scientists and doctors have debated the causes and effects, without a uniform conclusion. Scientists have theorised that the attacks arise from pulsed microwaves. Moscow is suspected to be behind them, even if the mechanism for them has yet to be explained. Sylvain Sonnet/Getty Images Two dozen US officials in Vienna have reported Havana Syndrome symptoms. The still unexplained attacks have caused sickness and even brain damage in US diplomats and intelligence officials in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries. Jul 18, 2021, 2:56 AM PDT Vienna, Austria. US senators in May said that the government was investigating an apparent increase in mysterious directed-energy attacks, amid new reports of potentially brain-damaging incidents inside the US. ![]() A US flag flies at the embassy in Cuba, where cases of Havana syndrome were first reported.(AP) Austria and the US said Saturday they were investigating reports of US diplomats and other officials in Vienna falling sick with health problems similar to the so-called "Havana syndrome".
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