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NIH chief Bhattacharya welcomes retraction of Havana Syndrome assessment
The withdrawal follows a review that questioned the intelligence assessments' methodology and treatment of evidence.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 12, Jun 2026
- 13:32 EDT
- 43
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arrives to testify before a U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 17, 2026. / REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya welcomed the intelligence community's decision to retract a 2023 assessment on anomalous health incidents (AHIs), saying it mischaracterized an NIH study.
In a statement posted on X, Bhattacharya said the report, Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents, inaccurately represented the NIH's work on AHIs, often referred to as Havana Syndrome, a cluster of unexplained symptoms reported by U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers, military personnel, and their families since 2016.
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Reported symptoms have included dizziness, headaches, cognitive difficulties, hearing changes, nausea, and balance problems.
I commend the intelligence community for retracting their 2023 report “Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents.” This report mischaracterized the NIH study on anomalous health incidents (AHIs). Our research was not complete at the time of this report. Nor was our study designed… https://t.co/8DyrZbSzjK
— Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (@NIHDirector_Jay) June 12, 2026
"I commend the intelligence community for retracting their 2023 report 'Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents.' This report mischaracterized the NIH study on anomalous health incidents (AHIs)," Bhattacharya wrote.
He said the NIH study was still underway when the intelligence assessment was published and was not designed to determine whether a foreign adversary or external mechanism caused the reported health effects.
Bhattacharya also raised concerns about allegations that some study participants may have been pressured by individuals outside the NIH to take part in the research.
"Findings that individuals may have been coerced by persons outside of NIH into participating in our study are deeply troubling and may represent a serious breach of ethical and human subject protections," he said, adding that NIH research "must always be voluntary and informed without exception."
Bhattacharya said those affected by AHIs had "suffered greatly" and noted that the complexity of the brain means some effects may not be detectable using current technology, underscoring the need for continued scientific research and transparency.
"We will work in good faith with Congress to ensure accountability, integrity, and care for those harmed," he wrote.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford welcomed the withdrawal of the assessments, calling it "huge news for the AHI victim community, analytic integrity, and for the American people."
Crawford said the assessments had caused harm to affected personnel and alleged they were used to discredit intelligence officers, diplomats, and service members reporting symptoms. He thanked Gabbard for what he described as honoring a commitment to review the issue and take corrective action.
His comments followed a decision by outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to rescind two intelligence community assessments issued in 2023 and 2025 that had concluded it was "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was responsible for the incidents.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the assessments selectively excluded intelligence and evidence that did not support their conclusions, mischaracterized sources, and relied on what it described as an "ethically flawed medical study."
The 2023 assessment had concluded that most intelligence agencies found it "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was behind the reported incidents. The report said years of intelligence collection and investigations had failed to uncover compelling evidence linking a foreign actor to specific cases.
An updated assessment released in January 2025 largely maintained that position, although two intelligence community components assessed there was a "roughly even chance" that a foreign actor had developed or used a novel weapon capable of causing some of the reported symptoms in a limited number of cases.
More than 1,500 cases have been reported globally since the first incidents were reported by U.S. personnel in Havana, Cuba, in 2016.
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