Introduction
Havana syndrome got its name because its first case started in Havana, Cuba. It is a set of mysterious medical symptoms that has afflicted American diplomats and spies around the world for years. Doctors, scientists, spies, and government officials have all been working to figure out what's causing it. Some believe it's an act of war, while others believe it's all just the imagination running wild in the victims' heads. Others believe it's a secret sort of surveillance. Who or what, then, is to blame?
The Havana Syndrome Mar 10
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The Havana syndrome started in December 2016, when a CIA officer assigned to the American Embassy in Havana started experiencing ear pain, nausea, headaches, and dizziness. A few days passed and two more CIA officers complained of the same symptoms. Months later, the number of US diplomats in La Havana who were suffering the same serious symptoms without a cause increased.
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Since then, more than 200 US personnel and their families reported similar cases in other locations including China, Austria, Vietnam, and Russia. The US State Department has begun looking into the idea that a sonic attack was directed against American personnel.
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Across every case, victims said that a strange noise they heard in their houses or hotel rooms triggered their symptoms. For some the noise was high-pitched. For some, it's a low hum that causes intense pressure in the head. Another reported the noise as "a laser of sound, concentrated into their room," while others said it sounded more like grinding metal or piercing squeals.
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Ample evidence suggests that this is a mass psychogenic illness based on belief. Think of it as the placebo effect in reverse. If I give you a sugar pill and tell you that you would feel better, likely you will. It's the power of framing. But, if I told you that you had eaten poisoned food when in fact there was nothing wrong with it, you would likely feel sick.
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Robert W Baloh, a UCLA professor of neurology, believes that these people were hyper-aware, terrified, under high mental stress and had threat-anticipation because news of the incident in other places circulated. He believes that this spread to many US diplomats stationed abroad.
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The Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act provides additional financial and medical support for US officials suffering with this. While it may take some time to figure out what's causing this sickness, these government diplomats deserve respect and support. Everyone's safety is important.
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