US pulls two more people out of Cuba over mysterious health concerns

The U.S. has pulled two more workers from its embassy in Cuba amid concerns that they may have been affected by the same mysterious health incidents as other employees in Havana as well as China.

A State Department official said Friday that the two individuals may be new cases, but it has not been “medically confirmed.”

The official declined to provide further information on the two workers out of respect for their privacy. 

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That the workers had been withdrawn from Havana and were undergoing testing for possible brain injuries was first reported by The Associated Press. 

The AP reported that the workers were being examined at the University of Pennsylvania, which is treating and studying other Americans affected by the mysterious incidents. 

The State Department has so far confirmed that 24 people were affected by what officials have said are attacks on U.S. workers in Cuba. The U.S. is also examining new potential cases from a U.S. consulate in China.

U.S. personnel in Havana began reporting the incidents in 2016, and they were first disclosed publicly last year. American investigators have not yet determined who or what is causing the symptoms and illnesses. 

Those affected by the incidents have reported a range of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and difficulty balancing. Several also reported hearing strange sounds before experiencing symptoms, leading investigators to initially suspect that some sort of sonic device was responsible.

No evidence has emerged that a sonic weapon caused the illnesses, according to an interim FBI report in January, according to the AP.

The U.S. has sent a medical team to evaluate workers at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China. The AP reported that out of the approximately 170 American staffers in the consulate, 150 have undergone the examinations.