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| U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on during a meeting with youth leaders in Bogota, Colombia October 21, 2021. (File photo by=REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/Pool) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BOGOTA: A senior state department official revealed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday (Oct 21) met with US embassy staff in Bogota who had been affected by anomalous health incidents (AHIs): known as Havana syndrome, Reuters reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported this month that at least five families connected to the US mission in Colombia had been affected by what the State Department calls unexplained health incidents. At least 200 US 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. A senior State Department official said Blinken addressed the incidents during a meeting with the embassy staff and families on Thursday, the last stop of a three-day trip to South America. Blinken then had a separate private meeting with those affected by the incident, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been under pressure to show it is taking the complaints seriously, with a bipartisan group of senators last week urging Blinken to quickly appoint a new official to head the investigation into them. It first came to public attention in 2016 after dozens of diplomats at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, complained of the sickness.
