Two more US diplomats in China hit by mysterious illness: NYT

By Reuters   June 6, 2018 | 05:01 pm PT
Two more US diplomats in China hit by mysterious illness: NYT
The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington in a file photo by Reuters.
A mysterious malady linked to sound has affected  dozens of U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China.

The U.S. State Department has evacuated at least two more Americans who fell ill after hearing strange noises in China, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, another instance of a mysterious malady linked to sound that has affected U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China.

The State Department was not immediately available to comment and Reuters did not independently verify the report.

A medical team has been flown to the U.S. Consulate in China’s southern city of Guangzhou to test diplomatic staff and their families, the New York Times reported.

So far, 24 U.S. government personnel and family members who served in Cuba and one employee in China have suffered symptoms of the strange sickness, the State department has said.

It presents symptoms and clinical findings that are similar to those related to concussions and mild traumatic brain injury, according to the department.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement on Tuesday saying that the department, which sends diplomats, support staff and their families to postings all over the world, established a task force last month “to direct a multi-agency response to the unexplained health incidents.” 

“The precise nature of the injuries suffered by the affected personnel, and whether a common cause exists for all cases, has not yet been established,” Pompeo said.

 
 
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