An illness suffered by a U.S. government official stationed in Guangzhou, China, has prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a health alert to Americans who are visiting or have visited that country.
State Department sources are apparently looking into the possibility of a so-called sonic attack at the consulate in the southern China city, along the lines of what mysteriously occurred in Cuba in 2016 and 2017, CNN reported.
A health alert from the State Department explained that the employee in question “reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure.” The official, who encountered these symptoms from late 2017 through April 2018, has returned to the U.S. for a medical evaluation. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing learned last week that the official was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, the Washington Post detailed.
The State Department also advised U.S. citizens in China, staffers or otherwise, who are experiencing any similar, unusual phenomena to switch locations rather than trying to do any detective work to find the source of the weird sounds or noises. Anyone suffering any related symptoms should consult a doctor, the notice added. That notwithstanding, apparently no other similar cases have emerged in China, at least so far.
“The U.S. last year decided to withdraw a large number of embassy staff from the country after diplomats stationed there complained of symptoms like hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, visual difficulties, headaches and fatigue,” the Post recalled about the circumstances in Cuba.
Those staffers were also diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury, along with permanent hearing loss and other ailments.
US issues health alert in China after employee suffers similar symptoms to Cuba ‘sonic attack’ https://t.co/N3vVsWwsgb
— Telegraph World News (@TelegraphWorld) May 23, 2018
A spokeswoman for America’s Beijing embassy indicated that it regards this as a serious incident and that the Chinese government has also launched an investigation that will include “taking appropriate measures.”
“The still-unexplained incidents sparked a rift in US-Cuban relations, while investigators have pursued theories including a sonic attack, electromagnetic weapon or flawed spying device,” AP recalled about last year’s controversy.
Washington, D.C.-based State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that top diplomats will host town hall meetings at the Beijing facility as well as at five other consulates today in China to discuss potential health issues, Politico reported. ” [A]medical team from the U.S. will travel to Guangzhou next week to conduct baseline medical evaluations of consulate staff members who request them,” Politico added .
The possible sonic attack at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China, is a developing story; please check back with the Inquisitr for updates.
