State Department sending multiple employees ‘for further evaluation’ after health screenings in China

Multiple State Department employees in China will undergo further medical evaluation after one staffer suffered a mild brain injury.

The State Department sent a medical team to Guangzhou, China, recently after a government employee reported experiencing abnormal sound and pressure. The individual’s symptoms were consistent with those associated with a so-called sonic attack on U.S. envoys in Cuba last year.

“The medical screenings are ongoing for any personnel who have noted concerning symptoms or wanted baseline screening,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

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“As a result of the screening process so far, the Department has sent a number of individuals for further evaluation and a comprehensive assessment of their symptoms and findings in the United States,” she added.

Medical staff will continue to conduct evaluations to determine the cause of the symptoms, and whether they are related to past incidents, Nauert said.

The State Department issued a travel warning for China last month after a U.S. employee there “reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure” consistent with symptoms experienced by some personnel in Cuba. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday that the department had convened a Health Incidents Response Task Force following the latest health issues. He added that it’s unclear if the developments in China are linked to the Cuban incident.

“The task force will continue to address the unexplained health incidents that have affected U.S. government personnel and their family members stationed overseas,” Nauert said.