Secretary of State Antony Blinken Says the U.S. Still Figuring Out 'Havana Syndrome' as More Officials Get Stricken With Condition

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the United States is still trying to figure out what the Havana Syndrome is and what is causing its symptoms as diplomats continue to feel ill with the mysterious disease.

According to Blinken, the entire federal government is working to get to the bottom of the said illness, The Guardian reported.

"We are working overtime across the entire government to get to the bottom of what happened, who's responsible," Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. The secretary of state furthered that to date, they still do not know exactly "what's happened" and who is behind the mysterious condition.

Blinken also shared that he spoke to the state department employees who described the symptoms of the illness and how Havana Syndrome affected and "disrupted" their lives.

"There is no doubt in my mind that people have been directly and powerfully affected," the secretary of state underscored.

In the meantime, Blinken assured that they are "caring for anyone who's been affected" by the Havana syndrome. He also noted that they will protect their officials "to the best of their ability."

New Havana Syndrome Cases

The secretary of state announced the status of their investigation on Havana syndrome, as four new cases of the condition were detected in Europe.

According to Al Jazeera, at least three diplomats serving for the United States consulate in Geneva were believed to have been stricken by the Havana Syndrome. The outlet furthered that one of the three individuals was needed to be medevacked from Switzerland to the U.S. for treatment.

Meanwhile, Embassy officials also reported another official who was stricken by the syndrome in Paris.

It can be recalled that in August, diplomats involved in the Russia-related issues, including cyber security, were also stricken by the syndrome in Vietnam, prompting the delay of Vice President Kamala Harris' flight when she visited the country.

It was not clear how many diplomats in Vietnam were affected by the Havana Syndrome during that time.

Reports noted that Havana Syndrome affected about 200 U.S. diplomats, officials, and family members overseas.

Havana Syndrome cases among U.S. diplomats were also recorded in other countries such as China, Colombia, Serbia, and Austria.

Havana Syndrome Raised by the U.S. With Russia

Havana Syndrome was a condition that was first reported in Cuba in 2016. To date, the syndrome continues to stoke foul play.

Officials who were affected by the disease reported that they experienced different symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, memory loss, and cognitive difficulties.

A 2020 report from the National Academy of Sciences committee, which was commissioned by the Department of State, found that "directed" microwave radiation is likely causing the illness. However, the report did not mention a source in their claim.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that they had raised the issue with Russia. However, they could still not decide on who was responsible for the syndrome.

It can be recalled that Russia, China, and the United States said that they have researched microwaves for military purposes. However, Moscow dismissed the accusations against it for using the microwave as a weapon in their U.S. missions.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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