State Dept approves first requests for Havana Syndrome compensation – spokesperson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has approved the first tranche of requests for payments for staff affected by mysterious ailments known as Havana Syndrome, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday.

The Havana Act, which gives the department and other agencies the authority to compensate employees who have incurred brain injuries, was passed after U.S. diplomats and other officials complained of unexplained ailments during postings.

“We are reviewing other requests and will continue to do so as they are received,” Patel said at a regular press briefing.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)