India Faces Its First Case Of Havana Syndrome

Havana syndrome has been discovered for the first time in India. Here’s all you need to understand about the enigmatic neurological disease that first surfaced in the south American nation of Cuba, in late 2016.

For the first time, Havana syndrome has been discovered in India, when a CIA officer visited New Delhi earlier in the month and reported symptoms comparable to the mysterious sickness. 

As reported by media houses such as CNN and the New York Times, the US officer was part of CIA Director William Burns’ delegation and required medical assistance during his time in India.

The news comes only weeks after US Vice-President Kamala Harris’ travel to Vietnam was postponed after numerous US soldiers showed signs of Havana syndrome just before her trip last month. 

The strange neurological illness has struck American spies and diplomats in Russia, China, Austria, and several other nations since it was first reported in Cuba in late 2016. 

Late last year, US ambassadors and other personnel stationed in Havana, Cuba’s capital, reported feeling unwell after hearing unusual noises and having bizarre physical effects in their hotel rooms. Nausea, severe headaches, tiredness, disorientation, sleep difficulties, and hearing loss were among the prime symptoms. Since that year, it has been termed as “Havana syndrome.”

Approximately 200 US officials and their families have reportedly suffered from symptoms comparable to this disease since 2016. For months, several people suffered from dizziness and tiredness. Research published in 2019 in the United States discovered “brain impairments” among diplomats who had been unwell. 

What is the cause of the Havana syndrome? 

Doctors and scientists have struggled to figure out what causes Havana syndrome five years after it was first described. Since then, several hypotheses have circulated, ranging from psychiatric disease to some type of sonic weapon. 

According to research by the National Academies of Sciences, microwave radiation has surfaced as a “possible” cause (NAS).

Another portion has completely disregarded the condition, claiming that the stressful environment of foreign missions is to blame for the symptoms seen by US diplomats. 

According to the BBC, Robert W Baloh, a professor of neurology at UCLA, described it as a mass psychogenic (stress-related) disorder. Baloh compared the scenario to how individuals feel sick when they are informed they ate contaminated food despite the fact that there was nothing amiss with it. 

“When you experience a widespread psychogenic illness, there’s generally a stressful circumstance at the root of it. In the case of Cuba, embassy personnel – notably the CIA operatives who were the first to be impacted – were undoubtedly under duress” BCC cited Baloh as saying.

As word spread, Baloh claimed, US embassy employees were “hyper-aware” and “frightened,” mistaking everyday illnesses like brain fog and dizziness for Havana syndrome. 

What did research in the United States discover about Havana syndrome? 

The symptoms of around 40 government personnel were evaluated in a research commissioned by the US State Department and issued in December 2020 by the National Academies of Sciences. Infection, toxins, psychological issues, and microwave radiation were all considered by the panel of 19 specialists as possible explanations for the symptoms of Havana syndrome. 

“Directed pulsed radio frequency radiation appears to be the most viable method in explaining these occurrences,” the analysis revealed.

The study acknowledged that “substantial research” on microwave weapons had been undertaken in Russia/USSR without accusing any country. Moscow has denied any involvement in the alleged “attacks.” 

Microwave weapons are a sort of direct energy weapon that shoots highly concentrated energy at a target in the form of sonic, lasers, or microwave radiations.

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