US State Department warns of possible 'sonic attack' in China

US President Donald Trump, right, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last November. Photo / AP file

The US State Department is warning US citizens in China that a government employee reported unusual "sensations of sound and pressure" and was later diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.

The case recalls a wave of so-called "sonic attacks" on US diplomats in Cuba.

A health alert sent today said a US government employee assigned to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou reported "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure."

The notification said the department was not aware of any other cases inside or outside the diplomatic community.

But signalling the depth of their concern, the US Embassy in Beijing and all five US consulates in the country held town hall meetings so employees could ask questions and raise concerns.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US will send a medical team to Guangzhou next week to conduct baseline medical evaluations of all employees who desire one.

"The department is taking this incident very seriously and is working to determine the cause and impact of the incident," said Nauert.

Though the State Department has not linked this case to any other incident, news of unusual symptoms hitting US government employees abroad will no doubt draw comparison to a rash of incidents with US and Canadian diplomats working in Cuba.

The US last year decided to withdraw a large number of embassy staff from Cuba after diplomats stationed there complained of symptoms such as hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, visual difficulties, headaches and fatigue.

The American Foreign Service Association said then that government employees had been diagnosed with "mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss, with such additional symptoms as loss of balance, severe headaches, cognitive disruption, and brain swelling."

Details about the Guangzhou case are still emerging.

The US State Department is looking into what could be a new "sonic attack" in China, "similar to what happened in Cuba" over a year ago, a US diplomatic official told CNN. Here's what we know so far: https://t.co/Gih53qJux1 pic.twitter.com/hco9Uq5A1y

— CNN (@CNN) May 23, 2018

Jinnie Lee, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Beijing, said that from late 2017 to April 2018, a government employee assigned to Guangzhou reported a variety of physical symptoms.

The employee was sent to the US for evaluation and treatment. On May 18, the embassy learned that the diagnosis was mild traumatic brain injury.

"The medical indications are very similar, and entirely consistent with, the medical indications that were taking place to Americans working in Cuba," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said today during testimony in Congress.

"The Chinese Government has assured us they are also investigating and taking appropriate measures," said Lee, the embassy spokeswoman.

The health alert advised that US citizens in China should consult a medical professional if they experience any symptoms.

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source," the alert advised.

"Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present."