Mysterious Brain Injuries Prompt State Department To Issue Health Alert For All Of China
U.S. personnel have experienced symptoms of a mysterious illness after hearing strange sounds. American diplomats had experienced similar symptoms in Cuba, and the United States said the Americans were targets of “specific attacks” there.
Reuters:
U.S. Expands China Health Alert Amid Illness Reports
The U.S. State Department on Friday issued an expanded health alert for all of China amid reports some U.S. diplomats based in the country had experienced a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected U.S. personnel in Cuba. A previous statement in May only mentioned the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou as the location for the health alert, though it was sent to U.S. citizens throughout the country. (Martina, 6/8)
The New York Times:
U.S. Issues Alert To Americans In China In Wake Of Sonic Attack Fears
The alert, posted on the department’s website, said those who suspected that they had such symptoms should not try to locate the source of any “unidentified auditory sensation” and should seek medical care as soon as possible. More than two million American citizens travel to China each year, and about 175,000 Americans hold Chinese resident visas. The advisory came after at least two employees at the United States Consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou, who showed symptoms similar to those suffered by American diplomats in Cuba in 2016, were flown out this week for testing by specialists at the University of Pennsylvania. (Perlez and Myers, 6/8)
