Mysterious Havana syndrome has resurfaced among US embassy staff. Now five families associated with the embassy in Colombia are victims, American media report.
Havana syndrome was first observed in 2016 and 2017, by staff at the US and Canadian embassies in Cuba. Since then, reports have been made at several American embassies. Most recently this happened in July in Vienna, last week in Berlin and now also in the Colombian capital Bogota.
Victims suffer from dizziness, balance disorders, hearing loss and anxiety, as well as what they describe as ‘brain fog’, which means difficulty concentrating and memory loss. “Some people hear grinding noises, others hear vibrations in their heads,” a former high-ranking diplomat told The Wall Street Journal. “The situation is very bizarre.”
A lot of research, but still little known
A lot of research has been done into the cause: scientists first thought it was an ‘acoustic attack’ with harmful sound waves. They went on to say that courting crickets caused the inexplicable sound, but the most recent US research suggests it is due to radiation from focused microwaves. Who or what caused the radiation is still a mystery.
Worldwide there are said to have been about 200 American victims, but the exact number is difficult to determine because not everyone with symptoms comes forward. According to the former diplomat, many victims work for the intelligence service, including that of the embassy in Bogotá.
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