Vice President Kamala Harris.Photo: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via GettyVice PresidentKamala Harris' trip to Vietnam was briefly delayed Tuesday after her office was warned about “a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident” in the capital city of Hanoi, according to the State Department.According to a statement from the State Department, Harris' delegation “was delayed from departing Singapore because the Vice President’s office was made aware of a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in Hanoi, Vietnam. After careful assessment, the decision was made to continue with the Vice President’s trip.“Though the State Department did not offer further details, “anomalous health incident” is the term the U.S. government has previously used to described the mysterious Havana Syndrome, an ailment that first affected dozens of U.S. officials in Cuba, and which has spread to other government workers elsewhere.Hours after Harris' trip was delayed, NBC News reporter Josh Lederman tweeted that at least two U.S. personnel would be medically evacuated from Vietnam following incidents of the Havana Syndrome.The incident in Hanoi comes after the State Department announced it is investigatingreports of illnesses among up to two dozen U.S. officialsstationed in Vienna that have cropped up since the beginning of the year.A spokesperson for the U.S. State Departmentsaid in a press briefing in Julythat the agency is “vigorously investigating” the matter, but did not provide details regarding symptoms, the severity of cases, or the number of those affected.The so-called Havana Syndrome has confounded researchers since late 2016, when U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in the country began experiencing symptoms consistent with those who suffer from brain injuries.The U.S. reduced staff at its embassy in Cuba in response to the cases and in 2018, U.S. diplomats inChinareported similar problems. UndercoverCIAagents working in other countries have also reportedly experienced the symptoms, which include headaches, memory loss and nausea.A number of the cases began in a similar fashion, withNeurology Todayreporting that victimsfirst heard strange grating noises, similar to what occurs when driving a car with the window partially rolled down, before experiencing the other symptoms later.Doctors and scientists have speculated that the symptoms could be the result of microwave weapons, which can cause sonic delusions andbrain damage.Kamala Harris.EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via GettyWhile in Vietnam, the vice president is scheduled to meet with leaders including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and will discuss regional security, economic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.The visit comes on the heels of a a three-day trip to Singapore, where Harris, 56, delivered a foreign policy speech accusingChina of “coercion” and “intimidation"for its military incursions in the South China Sea.Harris' Asia trip also comes amidst a messy withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, for which the Biden administration has been sharply criticized.Harris’first overseas trip as vice presidentwas delayed in June, when her flight to Guatemala was delayed over a technical issue.
Vice President Kamala Harris.Photo: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty
Vice PresidentKamala Harris' trip to Vietnam was briefly delayed Tuesday after her office was warned about “a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident” in the capital city of Hanoi, according to the State Department.According to a statement from the State Department, Harris' delegation “was delayed from departing Singapore because the Vice President’s office was made aware of a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in Hanoi, Vietnam. After careful assessment, the decision was made to continue with the Vice President’s trip.“Though the State Department did not offer further details, “anomalous health incident” is the term the U.S. government has previously used to described the mysterious Havana Syndrome, an ailment that first affected dozens of U.S. officials in Cuba, and which has spread to other government workers elsewhere.Hours after Harris' trip was delayed, NBC News reporter Josh Lederman tweeted that at least two U.S. personnel would be medically evacuated from Vietnam following incidents of the Havana Syndrome.The incident in Hanoi comes after the State Department announced it is investigatingreports of illnesses among up to two dozen U.S. officialsstationed in Vienna that have cropped up since the beginning of the year.A spokesperson for the U.S. State Departmentsaid in a press briefing in Julythat the agency is “vigorously investigating” the matter, but did not provide details regarding symptoms, the severity of cases, or the number of those affected.The so-called Havana Syndrome has confounded researchers since late 2016, when U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in the country began experiencing symptoms consistent with those who suffer from brain injuries.The U.S. reduced staff at its embassy in Cuba in response to the cases and in 2018, U.S. diplomats inChinareported similar problems. UndercoverCIAagents working in other countries have also reportedly experienced the symptoms, which include headaches, memory loss and nausea.A number of the cases began in a similar fashion, withNeurology Todayreporting that victimsfirst heard strange grating noises, similar to what occurs when driving a car with the window partially rolled down, before experiencing the other symptoms later.Doctors and scientists have speculated that the symptoms could be the result of microwave weapons, which can cause sonic delusions andbrain damage.Kamala Harris.EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via GettyWhile in Vietnam, the vice president is scheduled to meet with leaders including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and will discuss regional security, economic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.The visit comes on the heels of a a three-day trip to Singapore, where Harris, 56, delivered a foreign policy speech accusingChina of “coercion” and “intimidation"for its military incursions in the South China Sea.Harris' Asia trip also comes amidst a messy withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, for which the Biden administration has been sharply criticized.Harris’first overseas trip as vice presidentwas delayed in June, when her flight to Guatemala was delayed over a technical issue.
Vice PresidentKamala Harris' trip to Vietnam was briefly delayed Tuesday after her office was warned about “a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident” in the capital city of Hanoi, according to the State Department.
According to a statement from the State Department, Harris' delegation “was delayed from departing Singapore because the Vice President’s office was made aware of a report of a recent possible anomalous health incident in Hanoi, Vietnam. After careful assessment, the decision was made to continue with the Vice President’s trip.”
Though the State Department did not offer further details, “anomalous health incident” is the term the U.S. government has previously used to described the mysterious Havana Syndrome, an ailment that first affected dozens of U.S. officials in Cuba, and which has spread to other government workers elsewhere.
Hours after Harris' trip was delayed, NBC News reporter Josh Lederman tweeted that at least two U.S. personnel would be medically evacuated from Vietnam following incidents of the Havana Syndrome.
The incident in Hanoi comes after the State Department announced it is investigatingreports of illnesses among up to two dozen U.S. officialsstationed in Vienna that have cropped up since the beginning of the year.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Departmentsaid in a press briefing in Julythat the agency is “vigorously investigating” the matter, but did not provide details regarding symptoms, the severity of cases, or the number of those affected.
The so-called Havana Syndrome has confounded researchers since late 2016, when U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in the country began experiencing symptoms consistent with those who suffer from brain injuries.
The U.S. reduced staff at its embassy in Cuba in response to the cases and in 2018, U.S. diplomats inChinareported similar problems. UndercoverCIAagents working in other countries have also reportedly experienced the symptoms, which include headaches, memory loss and nausea.
A number of the cases began in a similar fashion, withNeurology Todayreporting that victimsfirst heard strange grating noises, similar to what occurs when driving a car with the window partially rolled down, before experiencing the other symptoms later.
Doctors and scientists have speculated that the symptoms could be the result of microwave weapons, which can cause sonic delusions andbrain damage.
Kamala Harris.EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty
While in Vietnam, the vice president is scheduled to meet with leaders including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and will discuss regional security, economic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visit comes on the heels of a a three-day trip to Singapore, where Harris, 56, delivered a foreign policy speech accusingChina of “coercion” and “intimidation"for its military incursions in the South China Sea.
Harris' Asia trip also comes amidst a messy withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, for which the Biden administration has been sharply criticized.
Harris’first overseas trip as vice presidentwas delayed in June, when her flight to Guatemala was delayed over a technical issue.
source: people.com
