Canada to cut embassy staff in Cuba to half

Canada will cut its embassy staff in Cuba by up to half after a mystery illness affected another person there, authorities in Ottawa have said.

Medical testing after the reappearance of unusual symptoms in November saw a 14th Canadian affected.

Canada’s diplomatic staff in Cuba will drop to eight from 16, a Canadian government source said.

“A further reduction in the (Canadian embassy) footprint is deemed to be the appropriate response,” another Canadian government official told reporters.

Canadian and U.S. diplomats in Havana first began complaining of dizziness, headaches, and nausea in the spring of 2017.

The United States reduced embassy staffing in Cuba to a maximum of 18 from more than 50 after more than two dozen personnel developed unusual illnesses.

Canada has discounted the idea of a "sonic attack" being the cause - a theory previously put forward by the US state department last year.

The Cuban ambassador to Canada, Josefina Vidal, said in a statement that Havana considered Ottawa’s decision “incomprehensible,” given it would not help solve the mystery of the health incidents and would hurt bilateral relations.

“This behavior favors those who in the United States use this issue to attack and denigrate Cuba,” Vidal said.

The Cuban government has been cooperating with a Canadian investigation into the cause of the illnesses, which has not been determined.

“I think I can safely say the Cuban officials are as frustrated as we are that we cannot get any closer to determining a cause,” the Canadian government official told reporters.

More than a million Canadians visit Cuba each year, but there is no evidence they are at risk.

Cuba has repeatedly denied its involvement. Canada says it has worked in "close cooperation" with Havana since the health problems first came to light in 2017.

Unlike the US, Canada never cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba after its revolution in 1959.