A newly declassified US Senate report reveals that the CIA’s response to the mysterious health incident known as Havana Syndrome was flawed and marred by inconsistent medical care, compensation delays and communications failures. However, it remains “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary will be responsible.
Many cases of this syndrome have been reported, primarily among U.S. officials stationed overseas, and the phenomenon has been previously unknown using a type of directed energy used by hostile forces. This has led to the theory that he was the target of a weapon.
While the report concludes that the illness is unlikely to be caused by a foreign adversary, it notes that research gaps leave “many unanswered questions” and that “the United States’ adversaries may be responsible for the symptoms reported.” “It is likely that they are developing directed energy technology that could plausibly explain some of this.” ”
An 18-page Senate Intelligence Committee report released Friday found that nearly 100 CIA officials who reported these so-called “abnormal health incidents” (AHIs) were often “delayed, denied, or denied treatment in advance.” He revealed that he was facing “conditioning” and was struggling with treatment. Access benefits.
The report specifically criticized the agency for moving away from assisting affected personnel more than a year before officially concluding that a foreign enemy was probably not responsible.
“Many AHI reporters experienced significant moral injury as a result of how they perceived the CIA’s treatment of them,” the report said, adding that this led to “increased stress of not being believed” that affected patients. health care workers have observed an impact on patients’ recovery.
CIA employees who reported symptoms had a lower success rate in obtaining workers’ compensation benefits than those from other government agencies, with only 21% of CIA applicants approved, compared to those from other government agencies. 67% of respondents said that. According to the report, the CIA contested claims more aggressively than other departments and often refused to confirm basic facts about reported incidents.
Reports of the disease first began circulating among U.S. personnel in Havana in 2016. Affected individuals reported symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and cognitive impairment, sometimes accompanied by abnormal sensory experiences.
However, two National Institutes of Health studies published in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no significant physical differences between affected individuals and controls.
According to a now-defunct NIH study that examined approximately 80 current and former U.S. officials through brain imaging and clinical evaluation, researchers found They found that there were no significant differences in structure or function.
However, the study noted higher rates of imbalance, fatigue, post-traumatic stress, and depression among those who reported symptoms.
These studies were later discontinued after an internal investigation found that some participants had been coerced into participating.
As of early this year, a report from the Government Accountability Office found that 334 Americans received care in the military health care system, even though many Americans struggle to access treatment. It turned out that he was qualified. The Department of Defense has developed a trauma registry to collect patient data, but so far it has entered information on only 33 patients, the report notes.
Despite more than 1,500 reports of Havana syndrome worldwide, the underlying cause remains unknown, which gives the commission pause when it comes to widespread denial and challenges to its health benefits.
“Some medical mysteries can take years, even decades, to be solved,” the report says. “This committee reiterates the[U.S. government’s]previous mistake of withholding medical and other assistance because it does not yet fully understand the mysterious health conditions employees are reporting. I don’t want that.”
