What is Havana Syndrome, mysterious neurological illness that afflicted American diplomats?

Team Udayavani, Dec 8, 2020, 1:01 PM IST

The mysterious symptoms that afflicted American diplomats stationed in Cuba, was most likely caused by directed microwave radiation

The illnesses first affected people at the US embassy in Havana in 2016-17. Those suffering from Havana syndrome, as the condition has become known, have complained of headaches, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision and other ailments.

Recently, a report from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, commissioned by the State Department, suggests the involvement of radio frequency energy.

According to The Guardian, Researchers did not identify the source of the energy – nor a possible culprit – but they said western and Soviet studies going back decades offered “circumstantial support for this possible mechanism”.

According to Indian Express, “Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target. People exposed to high-intensity microwave pulses have reported a clicking or buzzing sound, as if seeming to be coming from within your head. It can have both acute and long-term effects — without leaving signs of physical damage.

The US accused Cuba of carrying out “sonic attacks”, which it strongly denied, and the incident led to increased tension between the two nations.