(CNN) – Vice President Kamala Harris leaves for Vietnam It was several hours late Tuesday afternoon today After your office The US Embassy announced. In Hanoi, Vietnam, about a “recent extraordinary health incident”.
That word is the way the government usually refers Mysterious Havana Syndrome, It has sickened hundreds of U.S. officials in recent years.
“This afternoon, the Vice President’s delegation was delayed in leaving Singapore because the Vice President’s Office was aware of a report of a recent extraordinary illness in Hanoi, Vietnam. Said.
Simon Sanders, Harris’ chief spokesman for Air Force Two, told reporters on the same flight that Harris was “well, everything is fine and looking forward to tomorrow’s meetings in Hanoi.” He later said of the delay: “This has nothing to do with the vice president’s health.”
Finally, Harris took off from Singapore’s Baya Labor Airport at 7:32 pm local time, after a delay of more than three hours.
What the White House said
On Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Zhaki tried to reassure reporters about the vice president’s security in Vietnam, saying Harris “would not travel to a country if he did not trust his security on the ground.”
When asked if Harris or his staff were the target of a potential attack, Saki said it was not further assessed. He declined to give further details about the security, such as how the administration will keep the vice president safe.
“This is not a confirmed case at present. We take very seriously any incident that has been reported recently and made public. Accordingly, the security of the Vice President has been assessed and it has been decided that he can continue to travel with his staff,” Saki said.
In addition, Saki confirmed that the victims did not travel with Harris, but declined to say how many people became ill. Harris was not medically assessed because she was not on the ground at the time the incident was reported.
Intelligence does not yet have an official explanation for the dazzling combination of emotional experiences and physical symptoms that have plagued hundreds of American diplomats, spies and troops around the world.
CNN reports nothing about Havana Syndrome in Vietnam.
The so-called Havana Syndrome
Havana Syndrome cases began in Cuba in late 2016, and a Senate panel said the number of suspected cases was on the rise earlier this year.
Havana Syndrome sufferers have reported a variety of symptoms and physical sensations, such as sudden vertigo, nausea, headache, and pressure in the head, sometimes with “piercing noise.” Some are diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and continue to suffer from debilitating headaches and other health problems for many years to come.
Federal investigators in the United States have struggled to figure out what or who is causing the mysterious symptoms. Cases have been reported in Russia, China and other parts of the world. Last month, Austrian officials said they were investigating reports that U.S. diplomats in Vienna were experiencing symptoms of Havana syndrome.
Earlier this year, CNN reported two separate incidents The incident, which took place near the White House late last year, affected National Security Council staff.
Two security officials said in May that the Pentagon was making a note to all U.S. military and civilian personnel.
CNN announced earlier this month There has been growing frustration among State Department base staff and diplomats over the claim by many officials to replace the sluggishness of the department’s leadership, including Secretary of State Anthony Blingen.
The purpose of the Vice President’s visit
The report comes in the midst of Harris ‘visit to Singapore and Vietnam, in which the Vice President seeks to convey to the Southeast Asian nations the truth about the United States’ long-term commitment to the region.
White House officials say Harris’ overall mission on the trip is to strengthen ties with regional partners. It is expected to focus on regional security issues amid concerns over China’s land claims in the South China Sea; On economic priorities, including supply chain issues such as global chip production; In climate change; And in the Govit-19 epidemic.
This is his second foreign trip as vice president. Earlier this year, he traveled to Central America, which also had problems because Harris had to change planes just minutes before leaving for Guatemala due to a technical glitch.
–Denise Hroby, Jennifer Honsler, Kylie Atwood, Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Williams and Megan Vasquez contributed to the report.
