The CIA agent who was stationed at the US Embassy in Havana began showing signs of hearing loss December 2018. The term “Havana Syndrome” was born as more agents began to fall ill and saliva started being tested for brain tumors, but it’s unknown what causes this strange illness despite much research into it publicly available since Cuba contractor first reported his findings back then .
Beginning in December 2016 a CIA agent stationed at the U.S embassy in Havana began showing signs of a mysterious illness that affected his hearing and vision. As more agents at the embassy began falling ill the term Havana syndrome was born.
Since then U.S diplomats spies and officials across the globe have experienced the syndrome, which often starts as an intense ringing in the ears, government agencies have speculated that Havana syndrome was nothing more than Mass hysteria while medical personnel wondered if those who fellow were suffering from concussions. Despite a great deal of research into the phenomenon, what or who causes Havana syndrome is not publicly known. Although, Havana syndrome began as a handful of cases in Cuba more than 200 U.S officials have reported Contracting the syndrome. The illness is also not unique to the U.S embassy. In Havana Cuba, U.S. officials diplomats and spies located in Russia, China, Colombia, and Uzbekistan have all experienced symptoms of Havana syndrome. While there is no clear definition of the still mysterious illness the U.S government commonly refers to it as an anomalous Health incident that affects the brain which in turn can affect the entire nervous system.
Havana Syndrome has even been reported in Washington D.C in November 2020 a National Security Council senior official reported intense physical symptoms as he left the White House. The official had been out of the country and just returned home when the symptoms began the official told the New Yorker about his symptoms in a matter of about seven minutes I went from feeling completely fine to thinking oh something’s not right to being very very worried and actually thinking I was going to die.
Symptoms include dizziness nausea headaches vertigo and vision problems. In the earliest cases of Havana syndrome the chief complaint was a persistent ringing in the ears which caused severe headaches. Ss the syndrome has spread symptoms have expanded to include vertigo, nosebleeds, brain fog, tinnitus, loss of vision and hearing and loss of muscle control. Some officials have reported losing the ability to read or drive a car as a result of Havana syndrome. Although some government Personnel have seemingly recovered from their illness others have reportedly gone into early retirement due to the adverse effects on their health. Some of those Afflicted have reported physical damage consistent with concussion.
Medical staff at the U.S embassy in Havana initially believed that the CIA agents experiencing what would eventually become known as Havana syndrome, had actually suffered concussions as a result the staff took blood samples so they could perform tests looking for biomarkers in the blood that would show if brain tissue had been damaged.
It all started with a CIA officer at a Cuban Embassy who fell ill in December 2016 inches 2015. the U.S opened an embassy in Cuba after the two countries had worked to mend their relationship. Within a year a member of the CIA stationed at the embassy began experiencing bizarre symptoms that they couldn’t explain. The agent’s illness was Kept Secret but as more Embassy staff in Cuba became ill the term Havana syndrome was coined although the U.S reportedly suspected a sect of the Cuban government to be at the root of the problem.
The theory lost credibility as U.S officials in far away countries began falling ill the Cuban government also noted at the time that it was conducting its own investigation into the potential attacks on U.S officials. A group of scientists connected the symptoms to microwave energy in the Years following World War II. Scientists began researching the various forms of attack that could be used in the unfolding Cold War. This research included the phenomenon of some people being able to hear noises whenever a radar sent out microwaves.
One scientist Dr Alan Frey came up with the frey effect in 1961 which argued that sound could be made inside the brain as the result of microwaves affecting the nervous system. Further studies would show that microwaves could produce sounds within the brain without emitting sound frequencies. Further research into Havana Syndrome has also revealed that it wouldn’t be the first time microwaves were used to Target U.S diplomats in 1976 staff at the U.S embassy in Moscow learned they had been exposed to low-level microwaves for decades. The state department reportedly knew about the microwaves but kept the situation top secret for nearly 25 years. Some officials are convinced Russia is somehow involved as more U.S officials began experiencing Havana syndrome. Some reportedly began wondering if Russia was responsible. Former National Security adviser John Bolton and his Deputy Charles kupperman reportedly suspected Russia and possibly China of being involved with the strange noises and blasts of energy that coincided with the onset of Havana syndrome
