Secretary of State Concerned with 'Real Suffering' from 'Havana Syndrome,' Though Causes Are Being Ruled Out

Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock Anthony Blinken

A mysterious condition known as "Havana Syndrome" — which apparently first affected dozens of U.S. officials in Cuba and, later, government officials across the globe — is not the result of a nefarious campaign by a foreign power, American intelligence officials believe.

Still, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that his agency "will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of" the root cause of the issue.

The so-called syndrome, named for where it was first reported, has confounded researchers since late 2016, when U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Cuba began experiencing symptoms consistent with those who suffer from brain injuries.

A number of people have since reported medical symptoms, though a common cause has not been discovered. Skeptics say the cases are being over-interpreted, though some of those who have experienced the symptoms have spoken out and said they are being marginalized.

The U.S. reduced staff at its embassy in Cuba in response to the cases and in 2018, U.S. diplomats in China reported similar problems.

Undercover CIA agents working in other countries have also reportedly experienced the symptoms, which include headaches, memory loss and nausea.

The State Department announced in July it was investigating reports of illnesses with similar symptoms among up to two dozen U.S. officials stationed in Vienna that had cropped up since the beginning of the year.

A number of the cases began in a similar fashion, with Neurology Today reporting that suspected victims first heard strange grating noises, similar to what occurs when driving a car with the window partially rolled down, before experiencing the other symptoms later.

RELATED: U.S. Probing Reports of Mysterious Illnesses Among Government Officials in Vienna

The science behind this is a matter of debate among doctors and medical experts. Some have speculated that the symptoms could be the result of microwave weapons, which can cause sonic delusions and brain damage. Others disagree.

The intelligence community is coming to its own conclusion, with the CIA ruling out foreign involvement in hundreds of cases of the ailment, instead finding plausible alternative explanations in a new assessment, according to NBC News. Sources familiar with the assessment told the network that the agency disputes the notion that Russia or another foreign country may be behind all of the symptoms, as some sort of larger, microwave-based attack.

NBC News reported Wednesday that the agency wasn't yet ruling out foreign involvement in the cases that spurred it all — those that originated at the U.S. Embassy in Havana beginning in 2016.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Secretary Blinken acknowledged the intelligence community's assessment, but said he had spoken directly to those impacted by the mysterious health issues and was convinced that they were sincerely affected.

"I've talked directly face to face, on the phone, by video with colleagues from the State Department around the world who have been affected, who have reported real experiences, real suffering, real symptoms," Blinken said. "And when you talk to people, when you hear them, when you hear what they've been through, there is no doubt in my mind but that they have had real experiences, real symptoms and real suffering."

He continued: "And we are going to continue to do everything we can with all the resources we can bring to bear to understand, again, what happened, why, and who might be responsible. And we are leaving no stone unturned."

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Suspicions of the so-called syndrome have impacted even the upper echelons of the U.S. government, with an August trip to Vietnam by Vice President Kamala Harris even delayed due to a "possible anomalous health incident" in the capital city of Hanoi, according to the State Department.

Though the State Department did not offer further details at the time, "anomalous health incident" is the term the U.S. government has previously used to described the Havana Syndrome.

According to a statement from the State Department, Harris' delegation "was delayed from departing Singapore because the Vice President's office was made aware of a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in Hanoi, Vietnam. After careful assessment, the decision was made to continue with the Vice President's trip."