Open Letter to HHS Sec. Kennedy: Direct CDC to Act on Havana Syndrome in the U.S. Population

A plaintiff in BER v. CDC sent an open letter to HHS Sec. Kennedy to fix CDC's refusal to address Havana Syndrome in the US Population

BLOOMINGDALE, IL, UNITED STATES, October 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Len Ber, MD, Medical Director of the Civilian Registry for Diagnosed Havana Syndrome Patients, today published an open letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The letter addresses CDC's handling of Havana Syndrome in the U.S. population. The full letter is available on X: https://x.com/LenBerMd/status/2107885948486725755

According to Dr. Ber, Havana Syndrome is a novel medical condition that has been treated only as a spy, military, and federal story. Federal agencies have developed diagnostic guidance, clinical recommendations, and care programs for affected federal personnel. Dr. Ber maintains a registry of civilians whose Havana Syndrome has been diagnosed by expert physicians. "That makes it a public health issue as well," he says.

According to the letter, Dr. Ber petitioned CDC in 2025 to treat Havana Syndrome as a civilian public health matter. CDC's reply stated that the request "falls outside the agency's purview to respond, so did not respond," and CDC forwarded the petition to NIH. The letter states that NIH has not responded. The BER v. CDC lawsuit was filed, and on October 5, 2026, government attorneys filed a motion to dismiss it, arguing that the agencies have no legally required duty to act.

In the letter, Dr. Ber points to the optics of the nation's health agencies declining to address a novel public health issue, and asks the Secretary to fix the situation and direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take five steps:

1. Publish a Havana Syndrome case definition in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
2. Establish a civilian reporting mechanism, as CDC already has for its own employees.
3. Add Havana Syndrome to national surveillance.
4. Open an NIH civilian Havana Syndrome research program with a funding opportunity.
5. Name an HHS Havana Syndrome coordinator.

"None of this needs new legislation, and none of it prejudges cause or attribution," Dr. Ber writes. "These patients are asking to be counted and studied. Your CDC says it has no duty to act; your NIH has not acted. We are fighting this in court, and I respectfully ask you to do your part."

Dr. Ber is a plaintiff in BER v. CDC, No. 8:26-cv-01822, filed June 23, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The complaint, brought under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Public Health Service Act, seeks diagnostic guidance, surveillance, and equal access to research and treatment for civilians with Havana Syndrome. On October 5, 2026, the government filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Plaintiffs' response is due October 26, 2026. The public docket is available from the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse at clearinghouse.net/case/48312.

About the Civilian Registry for Diagnosed Havana Syndrome Patients
The Civilian Registry for Diagnosed Havana Syndrome Patients collects de-identified information on civilians in the United States whose Havana Syndrome has been diagnosed by expert physicians. Its medical director is Len Ber, MD.

Media contact
Len Ber, MD
Civilian Registry for Diagnosed Havana Syndrome Patients
CivilianRegistry@protonmail.com
630-450-7014

Len Ber
Civilian Registry for Diagnosed Havana Syndrome Patients
+1 630-450-7014
CivilianRegistry@protonmail.com
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