US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday vowed to uncover the circumstances of “Havana Syndrome”, a mysterious disease that affects US diplomats around the world, which sources say is caused by “sound strikes” that There is something peculiar to Russia.
Blinken announced the appointment of two veteran diplomats, Jonathan Moore, who was charged with coordinating the State Department’s response, and Margaret O’Hara, who would ensure that everyone showing signs of infection received appropriate medical attention. Get care
These “unusual health events,” as they call them in administrative terms, first appeared in Cuba in 2016, when US diplomats heard loud noises and began to suffer from severe headaches, dizziness or nausea.
Since then, cases of this type have been reported in China, Germany, Australia, Russia, Austria and even Washington.
The foreign ministry declined to give any estimate of the number of people affected. A source close to the file said recently, “he mentioned the number of two hundred,” confirmed or suspected.
Some people have complained publicly in the past, but their statements were not taken seriously.
On the other hand, Blinken on Friday called on every concerned diplomat to reveal his position without fear of “criticism” or “negative repercussions”.
“All of us in the US government, and especially at the State Department, are committed to uncovering the causes and perpetrators of these incidents, caring for those affected, and protecting our allies,” he said.
“We rely on all the capabilities of our intelligence services,” he said. We employ the best scientific minds in administration as well as outside it. “
He said the presumed victims were being cared for last month at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, a well-known facility in Baltimore near Washington.
He explained that some diplomats are now undergoing intensive neurological, audiological and ophthalmic examinations before leaving to work abroad “in order to obtain a basis for comparison if they subsequently report an unusual health event.” “
US officials were hesitant at first, sometimes attributing tensions to some easing symptoms, and others paying particular attention to possible radio wave attacks and those in suspicious countries such as Russia.
But this hypothesis also raises questions for some scientists, who believe that the existence of a common cause for all recorded cases is unlikely.
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