The State Department set up a task force to address a series of mysterious health incidents that have plagued U.S. diplomatic staff serving abroad in recent years, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday.
According to the statement, the Health Incidents Response Task Force will serve as “the coordinating body for department and interagency activities, including identification and treatment of affected personnel and family members, investigation and risk mitigation, messaging and diplomatic outreach.”
Beginning in fall 2016, 24 U.S. government personnel and family members stationed in Cuba fell ill with “symptoms and clinical findings similar to those noted following concussion or minor traumatic brain injury,” the statement said.
On May 16, a U.S. government employee in China reported similar symptoms. Pompeo said Tuesday that the exact nature and cause of these injuries has not yet been determined.
The statement said U.S. employees and their family members serving abroad have been instructed to report any symptoms associated with “unidentified auditory sensations” to their mission’s medical unit.
