Havana syndrome illness was reported at the US embassy in Columbia – the US officials are currently investigating such cases.
The staff of the US embassy in Bogota may have been acquainted with the mysterious disease. It leads to a painful sound in the ears, fatigue and dizziness.
Its first case was reported in Cuba in 2016. Ever since then, US diplomats from across the globe had reported some cases of the syndrome.
However, its origins are unidentified, with some speculating it is a type of weapon.
On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal initially informed that emails sent by US Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg confirmed several “unexplained health incidents”.
In other words – several UHIs. It is a term used for Havana syndrome by the US government – since mid-September.
Iván Duque, the president of Columbia told New York Times that the country is studying the reports. In addition to this, he said that the US is leading the inquiry.
According to the people affected by the Havana syndrome – it is an intense and painful sound in their ears. Some of the projected 200 affected have been left with dizziness and exhaustion for months.
The Times stated that more than half of those affected were CIA employees.
On Friday, reports of Havana syndrome arose at the US embassy in Berlin. The US president, Joe Biden released a statement promising to find “the cause and who is responsible”.
The statement came hours after he signed a new law. It allows the heads of the CIA and State Department to offer financial compensation to the government employees who have been harmed by the illness.
But a State Department official refused to confirm the reports to BBC News on Tuesday.
In a statement, the official said:
“We are vigorously investigating reports of AHIs wherever they are reported,” and that they are “actively working to identify the cause of these incidents and whether they may be attributed to a foreign actor”.
