MYSTERY: State Dept. Says Medical Issues Among U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Are ‘Unprecedented’ – ‘Never Seen This Type of Activity’

Thanks to former President Obama restoring relations with Communist Cuba, the Trump State Department has a health crisis on its hands. New reports say U.S. diplomats have experienced mild traumatic brain injury and nervous system damage during their stay in Cuba. According to CBS News, the State Dept. has called the medical incidents “unprecedented.”

CBS News reports:

According to medical records reviewed exclusively by CBS News, a U.S. doctor who evaluated American and Canadian diplomats working in Havana diagnosed them with conditions as serious as mild traumatic brain injury, and with likely damage to the central nervous system.

The diplomats complained about symptoms ranging from hearing loss and nausea to headaches and balance disorders after the State Department said “incidents” began affecting them beginning in late 2016. A source familiar with these incidents says officials are investigating whether the diplomats were targets of a type of sonic attack directed at their homes, which were provided by the Cuban government. The source says reports of more attacks affecting U.S. embassy workers on the island continue.

The doctor, one of several who reviewed their cases, included a warning in the medical records about the health risks of future exposures. The diplomats underwent comprehensive audiological evaluations and a battery of other tests.

In a statement received by CBS News from the University of Miami Health System, they confirmed its physicians were “consulted” by State on its diplomats in Cuba.

“Like any top-notch academic medical center in the nation, the University of Miami is often consulted regarding complex health care issues or emerging diseases. In the case of U.S. diplomats, our physicians were consulted by the State Department,” read the statement from the university.

The Gateway Pundit reported U.S. diplomats suffered from physical symptoms following ‘incidents’ under mysterious circumstances. State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to POLITICO, say they experienced an acoustic attack by sonic devices.

POLITICO reports:

The two-year-old U.S. diplomatic relationship with Cuba was roiled Wednesday by what U.S. officials say was a string of bizarre incidents that left a group of American diplomats in Havana with severe hearing loss attributed to a covert sonic device.

In the fall of 2016, a series of U.S. diplomats began suffering unexplained losses of hearing, according to officials with knowledge of the investigation into the case. Several of the diplomats were recent arrivals at the embassy, which reopened in 2015 as part of former President Barack Obama’s reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Some of the diplomats’ symptoms were so severe that they were forced to cancel their tours early and return to the United States, officials said. After months of investigation, U.S. officials concluded that the diplomats had been exposed to an advanced device that operated outside the range of audible sound and had been deployed either inside or outside their residences. It was not immediately clear if the device was a weapon used in a deliberate attack, or had some other purpose.

The U.S. officials weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Former President Obama reestablished ties with communist Cuba in his final year in office. President Trump reversed much of the policies of the previous administration. Many Cubans now settled in the U.S. praised President Trump’s rollback of Obama’s policy toward the island nation. On Wednesday, the Washington Free Beacon reports U.S. diplomats in Cuba are experiencing ‘physical symptoms’ following ‘incidents’ under mysterious circumstances. No further details were provided.

Washington Free Beacon reports:

Some United States government personnel on official duty in Havana, Cuba have reported feeling a variety of “physical symptoms” following “incidents,” according to a State Department spokesperson.

There are concerns about the safety of these diplomats, and the FBI is currently investigating the matter, CBS Radio News reports. The U.S. responded by asking two Cuban officials to leave the country on May 23.

The State Department has so far not said publicly what these “incidents” were and what “symptoms” the diplomats are experiencing.

CBS correspondent Steve Dorsey reported that the State Department spokesperson said the U.S. reminded the Cuban government of its obligation to protect diplomats under the Vienna Convention.

 

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