Cuba says cause of illness in U.S. diplomats remains mystery

 

A security officer stands next to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, June 8, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

 

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba said on Sunday it remained baffled by health issues affecting U.S. diplomats, after the U.S. State Department reported two Cuba-based functionaries had symptoms similar to previous cases that began in late 2016.

 

The State Department said on Friday the cases were similar to those of 24 diplomats and family members taken ill through 2017, leading to a drawdown of personnel in Havana to a skeleton staff and the expulsion of 17 Cuban diplomats from Washington.

 

The United States also issued a travel warning for its citizens.

 

Sunday’s foreign ministry statement termed those actions politically motivated, pointing out that "after more than a year of investigations by Cuba and the United States ... there are no credible hypotheses nor scientific conclusions that justify the actions taken by the U.S. government against Cuba."

 

The statement said Cuba was informed of one case in late May where "a functionary of the (U.S.) embassy on the 27th of the same month had reported health symptoms as a result of 'undefined sounds' in her residence.”

 

The statement said an exhaustive search of the area around the residence had turned up nothing out of the ordinary and its specialists had been denied access to the functionary.

 

Cuba said it remained ready to work with the United States to determine what, if anything, was causing the illnesses after its own investigation had uncovered no evidence of foul play.

 

U.S. experts have yet to determine who or what is behind the mysterious illnesses.

 

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has partly rolled back a detente with Cuba, first charged diplomats were the victims of "sonic attacks" and Cuba as the host country was at a minimum responsible for their safety.

 

Symptoms suffered by the diplomats have included hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, headaches and fatigue, a pattern consistent with "mild traumatic brain injury," State Department officials have said.

 

In April, Canada, whose personnel were also stricken, said it would remove families of diplomats posted at its embassy in Cuba as information from medical specialists has raised concerns of a new type of brain injury.

 

The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it has brought a group of diplomats home from Guangzhou, China, over concern they were suffering from a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected U.S. personnel in Cuba.

 

(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-11

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

Cuba said on Sunday it remained baffled by health issues affecting U.S. diplomats, after the U.S. State Department reported two Cuba-based functionaries had symptoms similar to previous cases that began in late 2016.

course they are going to say that; whatever else Could they say ?   'we did it' ?

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

course they are going to say that; whatever else Could they say ?   'we did it' ?

 

So, ya figure Cuba's behind the symptoms in Guangzhou, too?

 

37 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

So, ya figure Cuba's behind the symptoms in Guangzhou, too?

 

Wait until the mysterious sickness is reported at the USA embassy in Canada...

2 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

Wait until the mysterious sickness is reported at the USA embassy in Canada...

 

Or in the Pentagon.  The result of our own anti-snooping technology gone awry.

 

sounds like microwave radiation.

 

trump has suddenly caused an awful lot of workers comp claims

3 hours ago, impulse said:

 

So, ya figure Cuba's behind the symptoms in Guangzhou, too?

 

Don't be silly - it must be obvious (at least to those inclined to think this way....) that the Russians are behind all of these unidentifiable maladies....

17 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Don't be silly - it must be obvious (at least to those inclined to think this way....) that the Russians are behind all of these unidentifiable maladies....

 

If you held a gun to my head and forced me to bet, I'd go with self inflicted, or one of the 2 commie superpowers.  But the truth is, I don't have a clue.  It's just as likely to be the vaccinations they all took before a southerly posting.

 

Edit:  Or the saltpeter they add to the food to keep the guys from going off on the local girls...

 

Edited June 11, 20188 yr by impulse

Sure!!!!!!!!!

23 hours ago, jobsworth said:

sounds like microwave radiation.

 

Well, most microwave devices are assembled in China, there you have the culprit.
Kitchen microwaves with weak or faulty shielding,
especially in orders for U.S. foreign services procured under the previous president.

On 6/11/2018 at 6:29 AM, YetAnother said:

course they are going to say that; whatever else Could they say ? 

I guess that includes the US as well:

 

On 6/11/2018 at 6:22 AM, webfact said:

U.S. experts have yet to determine who or what is behind the mysterious illnesses.