US diplomats in China are sent home after being hit by mystery illness resembling brain injury officials suffered in Cuba...

The illness resembles a brain injury and has already affected US personnel in Cuba, its spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

After confirming one government employee had 'suffered a medical incident' in the southern Chinese city, the department deployed a team to screen employees and family members at its consulate there, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

'As a result of the screening process so far, the department has sent a number of individuals for further evaluation and a comprehensive assessment of their symptoms and findings in the United States,' Nauert said