Biden administration investigating cases of ‘Havana syndrome’ in Austria

The Biden administration is investigating a series of mysterious health incidents known as “Havana syndrome” that have occurred among U.S. officials in Austria.

The State Department announced on Friday there have been a series of Havana syndrome cases among the U.S. embassy community in Vienna community that will be investigated by multiple American agencies.

Havana syndrome first appeared at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba in 2016 when American officials began to get mysteriously ill. Some needed hospital treatment for months, and others had brain injuries.

The cause of the illness is still unknown.

“In coordination with our partners across the U.S. government, we are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents among the U.S. Embassy Vienna community,” the State Department said in their announcement of the investigation obtained by The Hill.

“Any employees who reported a possible UHI received immediate and appropriate attention and care,” the statement added.

The New Yorker magazine first reported the Vienna cases that began after President Joe Biden assumed office.

Some believe the mysterious illness is an attack by U.S. adversaries using radio wave weapons.

There have reportedly been more than 130 cases of Havana syndrome, and two occurred in Washington, D.C., near the White House.

“More broadly, these health incidents have been a top priority for Secretary Blinken, who set clear goals for the Health Incident Response Task Force to strengthen the Department’s communication with our workforce, provide care for all affected employees and family members and better protect against these events in the future as we work closely with the interagency to find the cause of these unexplained health incidents,” the State Department said. 

The Senate recently passed a bill to provide payments to officials who suffered from Havana syndrome.