‘Havana syndrome’ cases reported in Colombia ahead of visit by SOUTHCOM commander
Recent cases of unexplained health incidents known as “Havana syndrome” have been reported to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, one government source familiar with the matter told McClatchy.
The embassy and national security agencies are investigating the reported cases, one of which affected family members of a U.S. government official, including a child, the Wall Street Journal first reported on Tuesday.
Embassy staff in Bogotá were first made aware of the case in mid-September, which was around the time that Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, was visiting Colombia, from Sept. 19-21.
The Wall Street Journal reported that an email to embassy personnel said the regional security office is also investigating additional incidents.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Bogotá next week as part of a trip across Latin America.
A U.S. official told McClatchy that the cases in Colombia come amid an increase in case reporting across the globe, resulting from new workplace guidance to national security agencies that encourages personnel to report unusual symptoms.
The phenomenon first came to public attention after a cluster of cases emerged around the U.S. Embassy in Havana in late 2016, giving the syndrome its unofficial name. The U.S. government refers to the events as anomalous health incidents.
In addition to increased reporting, government officials say they believe they are seeing an increase in the targeting of U.S. personnel.
President Joe Biden has said that his administration is “bringing to bear the full resources of the U.S. government” to improve treatment for victims, to get to the bottom of the incidents and to “determine the cause and who is responsible.”
Colombian officials declined to comment. Spokespeople at the White House and State Department declined to comment on specific cases.
“You will probably not be surprised to hear me say we are not in the business of confirming reports,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday. “We are in the business of, number one, believing those who have reported these incidents.”
Over 200 U.S. personnel have reported experiencing sudden onset of vertigo, nausea, hearing loss, heat or pressure in the head, and several have shown symptoms of traumatic brain injury after reporting the episodes. Cases have been reported in Austria, Vietnam, Britain, China, Russia, the Washington area and elsewhere.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 5:03 PM with the headline "‘Havana syndrome’ cases reported in Colombia ahead of visit by SOUTHCOM commander."
