

The disease is unlike any other existing medical disorders, according to a 2020 report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. While he never got sick, his colleagues had also started noticing a strange cicada-like whirring outside their homes.Īs many of them fell ill, panic started to set in.Īll up, 26 people associated with the US embassy came down with Havana syndrome.ĭoctors are unsure of the root cause, making it difficult to fully treat those suffering from the ailment. I figured, 'I'm in a strange country, and the insects here make loud noises.'" "But I never particularly worried about it.
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"It was annoying to the point where you had to go in the house and close all the windows and doors and turn up the TV," he said. The first cases of Havana Syndrome were reported in 2016 by diplomats and relatives stationed in Cuba. The US embassy in Havana had only been open for several months as the two countries pursued closer ties after decades of hostility.Ī US official told ProPublica in 2018 that for him, it began with strange noises outside his Havana compound. The first cases of the illness were reported in 2016 among US officials stationed in Cuba. This is everything we know about the mysterious ailment. The US is racing to find out what, and potentially who, could be causing Havana syndrome.īut some experts believe that while sufferers are experiencing real symptoms, the cause lies within their own minds. They are diplomats, spies and military personnel working in US embassies in foreign countries. Hundreds of cases have been reported across the world, and almost all the patients have something in common. The metallic whirring is soon followed by an array of strange symptoms: dizziness, nausea and memory loss are most common.įor some, the symptoms are so debilitating and so protracted they are no longer able to work. For many of those afflicted with the mysterious disease, it starts with a strange noise.
