As mysterious conditions go, Havana Syndrome is a relatively new one and far harder to explain than most. Unlike traditional diseases or afflictions, this one is pretty shrouded in mystery, conspiracy, and a lot of confusion. For instance, Havana Syndrome might not be a thing at all. Or maybe it’s terrorism. Could be a sonic weapon, a biological one, or just something that’s in your head. In other words, it’s potentially very alarming, or nothing to worry about at all. That seems easy, doesn’t it?
Whatever the truth is, reports of Havana Syndrome have been circulating for years and they keep popping up again and again all around the globe. With that in mind, it’s worth looking into what we know about it, what we don’t know about it, and what most people think about it whether or not there’s a lot of evidence to support it.
What Is Havana Syndrome?
In 2017, the US announced that it was removing diplomats from its embassy in Havana after 21 people succumbed to injuries or illnesses of an unknown origin. Symptoms of this strange condition included tinnitus, balance issues, hearing loss, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and cognitive issues.
Not all the injuries happened simultaneously or in the same place. At the time speculation was that this could have been the result of a sonic weapon or surveillance equipment that had malfunctions somehow.
Later, the symptoms most focused on were extreme headaches and reports of hearing intense and piercing noises in the middle of the night with no easily identified origin. This was why fears of a sonic weapon or malfunctioning surveillance equipment were immediately blamed.
The Origins of Havana Syndrome
While it seems obvious that Cuba would have received the blame for the attack initially, assuming there was an attack at all, not everyone believed that. The US didn’t sanction Cuba in any way and Cuban officials were quick to offer assistance in investigating the incident in Havana.
First reported in August 2017, the story was that US diplomats began experiencing unexplained hearing loss. It was not just one diplomat and not just those who had been there for a while, some were fresh into the country. The problem was so bad that some had to return to the US. At that time, it was concluded that a device producing an inaudible sound had damaged their hearing, though it was ambiguous about whether it was deployed as a weapon.
Later, the story was amended to not really focus on the idea of a sonic device and also to expand symptoms. Not everyone suffered hearing loss, some were nauseated, and some had headaches. Some heard noises, some did not. The symptoms and reports did not lend themselves realistically to the science of any potential sonic weapon. It was also concluded that it was likely not from failed surveillance equipment.
Symptoms of Havana Syndrome
One of the issues in identifying what causes Havana syndrome is that the symptoms are fairly diverse and don’t lend themselves easily to diagnosis. In some cases, there were detectable symptoms but no evidence of brain injury or biological abnormalities. As we’ll see later, there were cases where there was evidence of some toxins, but these were not present in all cases.
We covered some of the initial symptoms in the syndrome’s first run above but it didn’t end there. The most commonly reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome are hearing an unusual noise, potentially a buzzing sound. There were also headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of cognitive abilities, hearing loss, and word recall. Some reported pressure in one ear and vertigo.
Some of the more unusual symptoms reported have included blood disorders and brain swelling. Even nosebleeds have been reported.
When Canadian officials diagnosed with Havana Syndrome returned to Canada, one of the families brought three dogs home with them. The dogs had reportedly been barking at seemingly nothing and, after returning to Canada, one of the dogs began demonstrating unusual symptoms such as arching his back and biting at thin air. The dog was diagnosed with a seizure condition and was euthanized. None of the dogs had any health conditions previously. That dog’s brain was later part of a study, along with the Canadian diplomats, to determine the source of the symptoms.
For most of the reported incidents, few known weapons or substances could cause all the symptoms. Over the years since the first incident was recorded, several different explanations have popped up that can account for many of the cases but not all of them. We’ll dive into that in a little bit as well.
Locations Where Havana Syndrome Has Occurred
After that first case of Havana syndrome in Cuba back in 2016 the condition really branched out. There have been over 1,000 recorded cases of Havana syndrome since that time and they are cropped up pretty much all over the world.
Diplomats in Guangzhou, China reported symptoms in 2017. The reports were fairly similar to those from Havana which led to the evacuation of the diplomats. Others in Shanghai and Beijing were also evacuated.
Other countries where diplomats fell ill include Austria, Bulgaria, France, Poland, Australia, Switzerland, Colombia, the UK, and more. In one case it was even reported by an official who was in Washington DC walking towards the White House at the time.
The common thread among reported cases of Havana syndrome is diplomats. Because it seems to only affect diplomats, it’s not seen as a naturally occurring phenomenon, and speculation that it’s an attack is an obvious conclusion. While it’s typically only US diplomats who have reported it, there was also the incident with Canadian diplomats in Havana. it’s worth noting, however, that the US diplomats were in Havana at the same time.
Possible Causes
There have been two causes that stand head and shoulders above the others as the most often cited source of the Havana Syndrome symptoms. One, as previously mentioned, is a sonic weapon. The other? Mass hysteria. Like the Monkey Man of Delhi from 2001, when hundreds of people reported being terrorized by a monkey-like man in a motorcycle helmet who attacked in the darkness. Mobs were formed, people were hurt, and some even died. In the end, it was determined the monkey man was never real; the whole thing was mass hysteria. The FBI concluded the same about Havana Syndrome in 2018.
This was not the end of the theories, nor was it the last time Havana syndrome was detected. Sonic weapons were one potential source of the condition that was looked into, but directed energy weapons were another. Sonic weapons could fall under this category, but it is a broader one. This also includes the possibility of microwave weapons, for instance, to account for a broader range of symptoms.
After some Canadian officials were afflicted with Havana Syndrome symptoms, the Canadian government looked into it as well. The Canadians involved had all received extensive baseline medical testing before they left for Cuba, so doctors were able to compare before and after. They noted damage in sections of the diplomat’s brains susceptible to neurotoxins. They concluded that pesticide use, which had increased in Cuba around diplomat residences at that time during an outbreak of Zika virus, had caused the condition.
In another link to insects, one that people who have suffered ill effects from Havana Syndrome are not huge fans of, the noises associated with it have been blamed on crickets. Apparently the short-tailed West Indies cricket makes a chirping sound that is so profoundly annoying it actually does cause physical symptoms of discomfort in those exposed to it. The sound the crickets produce also sounds similar to the pulses people reported hearing in Havana.
A recording of the alleged sound in Havana provided by the Associated Press was analyzed by researchers who concluded that it matched the “duration, pulse repetition rate, power spectrum, pulse rate stability, and oscillations per pulse” of the crickets. Worth noting is that the researchers aren’t claiming that nothing happened to the diplomats in Havana, they’re just calling into question the sound as the source of the damages. Many of the effects reported could not have been caused by crickets alone, but the crickets do explain the noises rather than some sonic weapon.
In another study, a doctor tested every one of the 25 diplomats who complained of dizziness, ear pain, and tinnitus and found every single one of them suffered from an otolithic abnormality, a condition that affects your inner ear and causes issues with balance, dizziness, etc. Does that mean they all had the condition before they arrived in Havana? Or did something there cause it? That was not as clear.
In 2022 the CIA had investigated 1,000 separate instances of Havana Syndrome. They concluded that this was not the work of a hostile foreign government trying to incapacitate diplomats or others. That does come with a small caveat, however. That conclusion was for the vast majority of cases but not all. Of the 1,000, they felt 976 had other explanations. But the remaining 24 could not rule out Russian or other government use of a weapon. That included the initial cases from the US Embassy in Havana.
So what caused Havana Syndrome in most cases? According to the CIA, it was a mix of environmental causes, stress, or previously existing medical conditions. As for the others? There is a chance they were an actual attack of some kind. Information linking Russian Military Intelligence to some of the unexplained cases has been discovered that places members of the GRU at the scene of some attacks.
A pulsed electromagnetic energy burst, something Russia is known to have been experimenting with, has received the most interest in these as yet unexplained cases. Reports have also suggested that senior members of the Russian Intelligence group associated with the attacks have received commendations in Russia for their research into non-lethal acoustic weapons. Russia denies involvement.
Further Research
Even though the CIA feels confident they have explained the vast majority of the cases of Havana syndrome, the remainder is still being looked into. It’s unlikely that the CIA will be giving updates on their research until such time as they determine what it is and also determine that the public needs to know what they discover. Until that time, speculation seems to be pointing strongly towards Russia but there’s no actual evidence that Havana Syndrome was caused by any foreign government, or any particular weapon either known or unknown.
Those afflicted are not all entirely happy to hear that their conditions may be caused by mass hysteria or crickets. Canadian diplomats are suing their government for not taking the condition and the resulting issues seriously or helping diplomats deal with the fallout. In total, 27 Canadian diplomats and their family members or associated workers were part of the suit.
An American intelligence official who was afflicted in China sued the US government as well. His claim is for disability discrimination. Others have not sued but have been met with frustration trying to get compensation, benefits, lost wages, and medical treatment for conditions that no one can agree even exist and certainly can’t claim to know the cause of.
Despite the widespread knowledge of the condition, there are still causes reported. A Department of Defense official reported symptoms after a NATO meeting in 2023.