By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation stated Wednesday that the topic of “anomalous medical incidents”, also known as Havana Syndrome, is a priority. It will continue its investigation into the causes and ways to protect employees.

It is thought that around 200 U.S. diplomats, official and family members abroad were affected by this mysterious illness. The symptoms include migraines, nausea and memory lapses. The disease was discovered in 2016 by U.S. officials in Cuban capital.

“The issue of anomalous health incidents is a top priority for the FBI, as the protection, health and well-being of our employees and colleagues across the federal government is paramount,” the FBI said in a statement.

It added that it would keep working with the intelligence community to “identify the cause of these incidents and determine how we can best protect our personnel.”

U.S. agencies have been criticized by sufferers and legislators for not taking the disease seriously enough. According to current and past U.S. officials, the FBI was skeptical in the past about Havana Syndrome.

“The FBI takes all U.S. government personnel who report symptoms seriously,” the FBI statement said, adding it had messaged its staff on how to respond and how to report if they experience an incident, and where they can receive medical treatment.

Mark Zaid is a lawyer representing victims of Havana Syndrome. He said that the FBI has “been less helpful” in the past, especially when they claim victims have psychosomatic symptoms, even though they never interviewed them. I suspect this will change.

William Burns, CIA director and Havana Syndrome task force leader, recently took up a job as an undercover spy. He was part of the hunt that resulted in Osama Bin Laden’s death.

According to a U.S. government source, while the U.S. does not have a clear view on the cause of the syndrome at the moment, the CIA has made it a top priority to investigate its spread and origin.