"Havana Syndrome," A Mysterious Symptom Experiencing US Diplomats In Cuba

Illustration (Unsplash / Nik Shuliahin)

JAKARTA - The mysterious illness that US diplomats suffered in Cuba is still a mystery. The US government suspects a "sonic wave" was hurled at its embassy in Havana.

Citing the BBC, some staff and the US Embassy to Cuba have complained of symptoms ranging from dizziness, loss of balance, hearing loss, anxiety and what they call "cognitive fog." This they call the "Havana syndrome." The disease first affected people at the US Embassy to Cuba in 2016-2017.

Based on the report of the National Academies of Sciences, there is no mention of the energy waves being deliberately directed. However, research on the effects of radio frequency energy was recorded in the USSR more than 50 years ago.

On that basis, the US accused Cuba of carrying out a "sonic wave attack". However, this was strongly denied by Cuba, and the incident increased tensions between the two countries.

A 2019 US academic study revealed a "brain disorder" in diplomats who fell ill. However, Cuba denied the report.

The Canadian diplomat experienced the same thing. They then reduced staffing at the embassy in Cuba after 14 of its citizens reported similar symptoms.

Debilitating effect

A recent study cited by the BBC reports, many suffer from long-term and debilitating effects. The study examined the symptoms of about 40 government employees.

"The Committee feels that many of the typical and acute signs, symptoms, and observations reported by employees are consistent with the effects of directed and pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy," the report wrote.

The study also noted that there had been studies in Soviet-era Russia on the effects of pulsed waves, due to continuous exposure to radio waves. It also said that military personnel in the communist countries of Eurasia at that time were exposed to non-thermal radiation.

Not only in Cuba, US diplomats have also reported such symptoms in Guangzhou, China in 2018. The US government even pulled some of its staff after they reported feeling a subtle but abnormal sound and pressure sensation. Meanwhile, a US official was diagnosed with minor brain trauma after the incident.