23.07.2021 – 10:32
CIA Director William Burns said he has stepped up his agency’s efforts to determine the cause of a mysterious health condition affecting U.S. diplomats.
The disease causes a variety of symptoms, including: dizziness, nausea, migraine and memory loss. The disease has been dubbed Havana Syndrome because it first appeared at the US Embassy in Havana in 2016, affecting dozens of diplomats.
In the years that followed, dozens of new cases were reported at U.S. diplomatic facilities in China, Russia, Europe, and Central Asia.
Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden said it was investigating reports of dozens of intelligence officers, diplomats and other officials in Vienna who complained of symptoms similar to those of Havana Syndrome.
In an interview with National Public Radio in the United States, Burns said there was a “very high chance” that the symptoms would be intentional. He said he has appointed a senior officer to lead a task force investigating the syndrome.
“I am absolutely determined to find the answer to what and who is causing this,” Burns said.
He said about half of the 200 U.S. officials and relatives affected are CIA officers or their relatives.
