Mystery illness due to 'strange sound': US expands China health alert amid reports

The US State Department on Friday issued an expanded health alert for all of China amid reports some US diplomats based in the country had experienced a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected U.S. personnel in Cuba.

"The State Department received medical confirmation that a U.S. government employee in China suffered a medical incident consistent with what other U.S. government personnel experienced in Havana, Cuba," it said in an emailed statement.

"As a result of additional voluntary medical screenings, the department has sent other individuals to the United States for further evaluation."

A previous statement in May only mentioned the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou as the location for the health alert, though it was sent to U.S. citizens throughout the country.

Earlier, the US State Department has brought a group of diplomats home from Guangzhou, China, over concerns they were suffering from a mysterious malady that resembles a brain injury and has already affected US personnel in Cuba, its spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

After confirming one government employee had "suffered a medical incident" in the southern Chinese city, the department deployed a team to screen employees and family members at its consulate there, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"As a result of the screening process so far, the department has sent a number of individuals for further evaluation and a comprehensive assessment of their symptoms and findings in the United States," Nauert said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement on Tuesday saying the department established a task force last month "to direct a multi-agency response to the unexplained health incidents."

"The precise nature of the injuries suffered by the affected personnel, and whether a common cause exists for all cases, has not yet been established," Pompeo said.

Earlier, the US embassy in China issued a health alert today after a US government employee experienced an "abnormal" sound and suffered a mild brain injury -- in an incident reminiscent of a mysterious illness that hit diplomats in Cuba.