Recently, there have been about 200 United States officials that have complained about feeling sick after going abroad. This is called Havana Syndrome. These officials have complained about feeling a variety of symptoms after going abroad and have no idea how and why. This is what is known so far about this syndrome.
What Is It?
What we know so far is that this syndrome unexplainably affected many U.S. officials while going abroad. Some of the symptoms that have been reported include nausea, anxiety, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, headaches, fatigue, and even memory loss. All of this started in 2016 when U.S. diplomats were stationed in Cuba by former President Barack Obama. That was the first time that Havana Syndrome was heard of. It was then heard from other officials stationed in other parts of the world that had also claimed to have the same symptoms.
To some, it was so severe that they left active service because the sickness made it hard for them to do their job. So far, this has been a concern from officials settled in Cuba, Russia, Poland, Georgia, Serbia, Vietnam, India, Colombia, France, Switzerland, and Taiwan. This is not something to do with foreign countries however since there are officials settled in Washington, DC that have also experienced this.
What Is the Cause of This
There have been made many investigations regarding this syndrome. A report made in march 2023 has the most credible conclusion so far that this was
caused by various environmental factors such as pre-existing medical conditions and conventional illnesses. However, back in 2021, a conclusion was made as well. But it was different. In this report, it is stated that the probable cause of the Havana Syndrome is due to directed energy.
A pulsed radio frequency energy that made these people sick when exposed to it. However, recently the U.S. Intelligence community has stated that it is very unlikely that this syndrome was caused by an energy weapon. There is no evidence to accuse this syndrome to be the cause of a foreign attack.
Even though there is still not a concrete conclusion for this, the U.S. is helping all officials affected and making sure they get the necessary treatment.“I want to be absolutely clear: these findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that U.S. Government personnel and their family members — including CIA’s own officers — have reported while serving our country,” stated William Burns, CIA Director.
President Biden signed the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act which basically authorizes medical and financial support for everyone affected by Havana Syndrome.
What’s Next
As of right now, the U.S. will do everything in its power to figure out where this syndrome started and how to control it. But for now, their main priority is making sure all people affected are treated. All officials will continue to be evaluated regularly to see if there are any changes. They will continue to be taken care of until they all are able to go back to their regular lifestyle.
“I think it is important and frankly the most important thing is we are taking care of the workforce for any health care issues that have arisen,” said Marco Rubio, Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman. Hopefully, the government is able to get to the bottom of this Havana Syndrome before it can get worse. Hopefully, those that were affected, can get better soon and are able to live their regular lives normally.
Written By Erika Cano
Sources:
Rolling Stone: ‘Havana Syndrome’ Not Caused by Foreign Actors, Energy Weapons: Intel Report
ABC News: What’s likely behind mysterious ‘Havana syndrome’ that plagued US diplomats
The Wall Street Journal: Havana Syndrome: What We Know
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Ankarino Flickr page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jernej Furman Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
