A senior Defense Department official who attended last year's NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, reported symptoms similar to those associated with the mysterious 'Havana syndrome,' the Pentagon confirmed on Monday. Havana syndrome refers to a range of health issues first reported in 2016 by U.S. officials at the Embassy in Havana, including sudden head pressure, ear pain, and dizziness.
The Pentagon disclosed that the official, who remains unidentified, experienced symptoms akin to those in anomalous health incidents. The individual was not part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's official delegation but was present separately for meetings at the NATO summit.
While the cause of Havana syndrome is still under investigation, a recent '60 Minutes' report suggested Russian involvement in the incidents, including one during the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius. The Pentagon has deferred questions regarding Russia's role to the intelligence community, which is actively investigating the matter.
The affected defense official's current status, whether they required further medical attention or had to cease duties, was not disclosed due to medical privacy concerns. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's 2024 threat assessment deemed it 'unlikely' that a foreign adversary was responsible for the ailments, a conclusion supported by the State Department.
The primary researcher in Cuba on Havana syndrome, Mitchell Valdés-Sosa, criticized the '60 Minutes' report for lacking scientific evidence to support the existence of the syndrome. Valdés-Sosa highlighted the varied symptoms associated with the condition and suggested that some cases may be misattributed due to heightened public attention.
Despite the ongoing investigations and differing opinions, the Pentagon has established a registry for employees to report similar incidents. A recent five-year study by the National Institutes of Health found no brain injuries or degeneration among U.S. diplomats and government employees experiencing Havana syndrome symptoms.
