US diplomats were first diagnosed with Havana Syndrome in Cuba in 2016 and then in China in 2018. The diplomats said they experienced piercing sounds that have caused longer-term health effects. American diplomats in Russia, Tajikistan, Austria, and in several African countries have also reported experiencing Havana Syndrome symptoms, including nausea and dizziness.
On January 20, the US Central Intelligence Agency said it does not consider Havana syndrome to be the result of a deliberate global campaign by any hostile country.
The report for Congress was critical of how the agency’s top physicians dealt with the unexplained incidents during the Trump administration, resulting in many people with strange symptoms being unable to get prompt medical care, the report said.
29 September 2022, 23:19 GMT
CIA officials, cited in the report, acknowledged that the 2016-2020 internal review discovered weaknesses in the agency’s response.
"The review found the challenge of simultaneously understanding and effectively responding to the myriad of challenges associated with anomalous health incidents complicated the agency’s response during this time period," the report cited CIA spokeswoman Susan Miller as saying.
The news comes after the first victims of the alleged attacks reportedly began receiving compensation between $100,000 and $200,000 which was announced by US President Joe Biden in June.