The Department of State is on edge after a U.S. official in China was recently diagnosed with brain damage following reports of mysterious experiences and symptoms reminiscent of the alleged 2017 sonic attacks at the American embassy in Cuba.
The U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou issued a health alert to U.S. citizens in China Wednesday after a U.S. government employee was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury after experiencing “subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure.” The affected employee is said to have reported unusual symptoms throughout the past year.
The U.S. government said it is taking this incident “seriously.”
While the U.S. has accused China of engaging in dangerous attacks on American personnel, including using lasers to harass and blind American pilots operating off the coast of Africa, there is currently no evidence that China is involved in the incident, which has not yet been identified as an attack. “The Chinese government has assured us they are also investigating and taking appropriate measures,” a consular spokeswoman explained to The Washington Post. (RELATED: China Has Reportedly Been Trying To Blind American Military Pilots With High-Powered Lasers)
So far, this incident appears to be isolated, as there have not been any similar situations reported within the diplomatic community in China or among other American citizens in country, The Associated Press reported.
The health alert issued Wednesday warned U.S. citizens to be vigilant.
“While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source,” the notice read. “Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present.”
The incident is likely to recall the still unexplained “sonic attacks” on U.S. diplomats in Cuba. (RELATED: US Orders Majority Of Cuban Embassy Workers Home After 21 Diplomats Attacked)
The U.S. decided to withdraw American officials out of the country in 2017 after multiple diplomats were diagnosed with “mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss, with such additional symptoms as loss of balance, severe headaches, cognitive disruption, and brain swelling.”
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