US officials have issued a health alert in China after a US government employee stationed there reported “abnormal sensations of sound and pressure” that indicated a mild brain injury.
The US State Department is looking into whether the incident is a “sonic attack,” a US diplomatic official told CNN, similar to what happened in Cuba in 2016 and 2017, which led to a reduction in staffing at the nation’s US embassy in Havana.
The official who fell ill was assigned to the city of Guangzhou in southern China and reported a range of physical symptoms from late 2017 through to April 2018, the State Department said.
The employee was sent back to the United States for assessment.
edition.cnn.com/2018/05/23/asia/…index.html
This is from the U.S Embassy website:
Health Alert
Location: Guangzhou
Event:
A U.S. government employee in China recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure.
The U.S. government is taking these reports seriously and has informed its official staff in China of this event.
We do not currently know what caused the reported symptoms and we are not aware of any similar situations in China, either inside or outside of the diplomatic community.
Action to Take:
If you have concerns about any symptoms or medical problems that developed during or after a stay in China, consult a medical professional.
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. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present.
Assistance:
U.S. Consulate Guangzhou
Tel: 020-3814 5775 or 011-86-20-3814 5775 if you are calling from the U.S.
Email: GuangzhouACS@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-201-4444
Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
china.usembassy-china.org.cn/ha-05232018/
U.S. warns citizens in China after ‘abnormal’ sound injures consulate worker
BEIJING (Reuters) – An American citizen working at the U.S. consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has reported suffering from “abnormal” sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, the U.S. embassy said on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers that the “sonic attack” in China was “medically similar” to the incidents in Cuba.
States for further evaluation. “The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI),” the embassy said.
www.reuters.com/article/us-china…SKCN1IO1FQ
he health alert immediately raised comparisons with a series of unexplained incidents in Cuba that led to the withdrawal of most US personnel from the embassy in Havana.
The cause of those incidents, reported in late 2016 and early 2017, still remains a mystery.
At a congressional hearing in January, US officials detailed how personnel came to experience a variety of symptoms,
including sharp ear pain,
headaches,
ringing in one ear,
vertigo,
disorientation,
attention issues
and signs consistent with mild traumatic brain injury or concussion.
In nearly all cases, the ailments were preceded by some sort of “acoustic element,” such as a “high-pitched beam of sound” or a “baffling sensation akin to driving with the windows partially open in a car.”
www.kpax.com/story/38256092/us-is…sensations
US releases recording of ‘sonic weapon attack’ used against diplomats in Cuba
At least 22 people have been hurt by the mysterious high pitched sound www.independent.co.uk/news/world…00796.html
AP obtains audio of Cuba sonic attack
The LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) was used for the first time in the USA in Pittsburgh during the time of G20 summit on September 24-25th, 2009
h/t Fork