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Blinken: Solving Havana Syndrome “an urgent priority”

Middle East

06-11-2021 | 02:41

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Blinken: Solving Havana Syndrome “an urgent priority”

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday named two new officials to coordinate Washington's response to so-called Havana Syndrome health incidents that have affected U.S. diplomats and officials overseas.

Blinken said Ambassador Jonathan Moore will serve as coordinator of the State Department's Health Incident Response Task Force and Ambassador Margaret Uyehara will lead a team supporting affected employees.

"This is an urgent priority for President Biden, for me, for our entire government," Blinken said in an address at the department, pledging to "get to the bottom of this" and take care of those affected in the meantime.

"These incidents have left our colleagues with profound harm. They've experienced serious physical consequences, including persistent headaches and hearing loss. They've also experienced psychological harm, including trauma, anxiety, depression," he said.

President Joe Biden's administration has faced criticism from sufferers and lawmakers for not taking seriously enough what officials call anomalous health incidents.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wrote to Blinken on October 14 urging him to quickly appoint a new coordinator for the response after the previous official resigned.

Around 200 U.S. diplomats, officials and family members overseas are believed to have been struck by the mysterious ailment - with symptoms including migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness - which was first reported among U.S. officials in the Cuban capital in 2016.

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