Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Disturbed By Research On Mysterious Illness In U.S. Diplomats, Calling Recent Study On Injuries 'Flimsy'
The Washington Post: Controversy Surrounds Research On State Department Employees Sickened In ‘Attacks'
Something mysterious and disturbing has happened to State Department personnel, first in Cuba and now in China. Strange high-pitched sounds — “buzzing,” “piercing squeals,” “grinding metal,” as the Cuba staffers later told doctors — preceded an eruption of health problems, including headaches, dizziness, confusion, ear pain, hearing loss, insomnia and fatigue. Last year, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson referred to what happened in Havana as “attacks.” Numerous news stories and opinion columns speculated about “sonic attacks” using some kind of unknown acoustic weapon. The mystery spread this spring to China: A staffer in Guangzhou experienced “subtle and vague, but abnormal sensations of sound and pressure,” in the words of the State Department. (Achenbach, 6/8)
Reuters: Cuba Says Cause Of Illness In U.S. Diplomats Remains Mystery
Cuba said on Sunday it remained baffled by health issues affecting U.S. diplomats, after the U.S. State Department reported two Cuba-based functionaries had symptoms similar to previous cases that began in late 2016. The State Department said on Friday the cases were similar to those of 24 diplomats and family members taken ill through 2017, leading to a drawdown of personnel in Havana to a skeleton staff and the expulsion of 17 Cuban diplomats from Washington. (Frank, 6/10)
The Associated Press: Cuba Releases Details Of Incident Involving US Official
Cuba released details Sunday on the latest mysterious health incident involving a U.S. diplomat in the country, saying that Cuban officials learned of the episode late last month when the U.S. said that an embassy official felt ill after hearing "undefined sounds" in her home in Havana. Cuba said in a statement released by its Foreign Ministry that U.S. officials reported on May 29 that a female embassy official had reported experiencing "health symptoms" after hearing the sounds in her home two days earlier. (Weissenstein, 6/10)
The Associated Press: US Pulls 2 More From Cuba Amid New Potential Health Cases
The United States has pulled out two more of its workers from its embassy in Cuba and is testing them for possible brain injury, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Friday, amid concerns they may have been affected by mysterious health incidents harming U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China. (Lederman and Lee, 6/8)
