5 families tied to US Embassy in Colombia struck by Havana syndrome
Five American families linked to the US Embassy in Colombia have been struck down by suspected Havana syndrome — just one week before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit the country.
Staff at the embassy in Bogota were informed earlier this month that US officials were investigating multiple Havana syndrome cases, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Among those affected by the mysterious illness is a minor, according to an embassy source.
State Department spokesman Ned Price on Tuesday refused to confirm the total number of cases linked to the embassy, citing privacy reasons.
He only said at a press briefing that the US was working to ensure those affected “get the prompt care they need.”
A US official told the Journal that at least one family had been flown out of Colombia for treatment in recent days.
“There was definitely a family, including a minor hit,” the source said. “Adults sign up for what they sign up for and the risks that come with it … Targeting or even incidentally hitting kids should be a hard red line.”
Havana syndrome, which is referred to by the US government as an anomalous health incident, is linked to suspected radiation attacks that have stricken hundreds of American spies and diplomats around the world.
Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, migraines and memory lapses. It is sometimes preceded by a piercing sound.
The condition got its name from a rash of health incidents first reported by American officials in Havana, Cuba, starting in 2016 and 2017.
Colombian President Ivan Duque said Tuesday he was aware of the cases in Bogota but was leaving the investigation to US authorities.
“Of course we have knowledge of this situation but I want to leave it to the US authorities, who are doing their own investigation because it is about their own personnel,” Duque told reporters in New York during an official US visit.
The Bogota cases are the latest to coincide with travel by senior US officials after Vice President Kamala Harris had to briefly delay her travel to Vietnam when possible Havana syndrome cases were reported among US personnel in the embassy in Hanoi.
Attacks have also occurred in Germany, China, Russia and Austria.
Blinken is scheduled to visit Colombia on Oct. 20.
