US Appoints Senior Official To Lead Response To 'Havana Syndrome' Incidents - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2021) The US administration appointed Ambassador Pamela Spartlen to lead the task force charged with responding to alleged acoustic attacks against American officials in Cuba, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

"The Department has designated Ambassador Pamela Spratlen to serve as the Senior Adviser to the Health Incident Response Task Force (HIRTF), reporting directly to the Department's senior leadership," the statement said.

US diplomats in Cuba suffered a set of health problems, collectively described as the Havana syndrome, in 2016 and 2017. Similar medical signs were reported among US diplomatic staffers in China in 2018. Victims of the supposed attacks were hearing strange noises, which some of them perceived as vibrations or pressure. Some of the diplomats experienced long-term health effects. The US Department of State assumed the diplomats could be exposed to some unidentified acoustic attack, however, it did not reach a definite conclusion on what exactly caused the syndrome.

The task force was created in 2018 and serves as the coordinating body for the US government response to these incidents, the State Department added.

"The selection of Ambassador Spratlen will help us make strides to address this issue wherever it affects Department personnel and their families.� She will streamline our coordination efforts with the interagency community, and reaffirm our commitment to make certain that those affected receive the care and treatment they need," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the rlease.

Spratlen previously served as a Senior Adviser of the Office of Inspector General in the State Department.� She also was the US. Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Kazakhstan.