Havana syndrome

Havana syndrome, also known as anomalous health incidents (AHIs), is a disputed medical condition. Starting in 2016 in about a dozen overseas locations, U.S. and Canadian government officials and their families reported symptoms associated with a perceived localized loud sound. The symptoms lasted for months and included disabling cognitive problems, balance problems, dizziness, insomnia, and headaches. Havana syndrome is not recognized as a disease by the medical community.

A number of government and non-government agencies have conducted investigations into the AHIs, including the State Department (2018), University of Pennsylvania (2018), FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (2018), JASON (2018 and 2022), Centers for Disease Control (2019), Department of Defense (2020), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2020), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) (2020), Cuban Academy of Sciences (2021), seven intelligence agencies under the auspices of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) (2023), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2024). Several news organizations have also conducted investigations.

Official investigations have provided various theories on the cause of AHI, but there is no consensus. Theories include directed-energy weapons, psychological and social causes, and toxic chemicals. However, no cause has been established.

The U.S. government has established a variety of programs providing medical and financial support to people that reported AHI symptoms, but some AHI patients continue to campaign for additional support.

Syndrome

A variety of symptoms are associated with Havana Syndrome, including dizziness, headaches, pain, and cognitive problems. Havana syndrome is not a disease recognized by the International Classification of Diseases diagnostic manual.

Signs and symptoms

Most of the affected individuals reported an acute onset of neurological symptoms associated with a perceived localized loud sound such as screeching, chirping, clicking, or piercing noises. Two-thirds reported visual disturbances such as blurred vision and sensitivity to light. More than half reported intense pressure or vibration in the head, ear pain, diffuse head pain, and cognitive problems such as forgetfulness and poor concentration. Tinnitus and hearing loss occurred in one-third of cases, and dizziness or unsteady gait affected one-quarter.

Some affected individuals reported chronic symptoms that last for months, such as balance and cognitive problems, insomnia, and headaches. The longevity of these symptoms is not clear, and they are less specific than the acute symptoms.

Causes

A review article written in 2022 by Asadi-Pooya considered several possible causes. It stated that a plausible explanation was the use of a directed-energy or radio frequency weapon, with other possible causes including functional disorders, psychogenic disease, or exposure to chemicals/neurotoxins. The authors cautioned that all studies included in their review were limited by small sample sizes, and that the underlying cause remains unidentified.

A 2023 review article written by Bartholomew and Baloh concluded that Havana syndrome was erroneously classified as a novel entity due to a moral panic based on the fear of foreign entities such as the Russians or Cubans attacking the U.S., the over-interpretation of data, misconceptions about psychogenic illness, and coverage and leaks by the media. The authors stated that the U.S. intelligence community had concluded that Havana syndrome is "a socially constructed catch-all category for an array of pre-existing health conditions, responses to environmental factors, and stress reactions that were lumped under a single label".

A 2024 review article by Connolly et al., surveying multiple peer-reviewed studies, concluded that the cause of AHIs is still unknown. The review discussed several possible causes, including mass psychogenic illness and head trauma, but did not endorse a specific cause.

Number of people

There are no official statistics, but media reporting indicated a total of 26 people around 2017, 40 in 2019 (U.S. and Canadian), 130 people in May 2021, more than 200 by September 2021, and more than 1,000 by early 2022. The cases affected CIA, U.S. military, and State Department personnel and their family members. Some reports, after investigation, were determined to have ordinary explanations.

In July 2024, a report from the GAO stated that 334 people had completed the process to qualify for care in the military health system.

Locations

People have reported experiencing AHIs in about a dozen countries, and in a variety of circumstances, including in hotels, at home, while in vehicles, and while walking a dog in the suburbs.

Cuba

U.S. personnnel

In August 2017, reports began surfacing that American and Canadian diplomatic personnel in Cuba had experienced unusual, unexplained health problems dating to late 2016. As of June 2018, the number of American citizens experiencing symptoms was 26.

The original 21 events in Cuba were characterized as starting with strange grating noises coming from a specific direction. Some people reported pressure, vibration, or a sensation comparable to driving a car with the window partly rolled down. These noises lasted from 20 seconds to 30 minutes and happened while the diplomats were either at home or in hotel rooms. Other people nearby (including family members and guests in neighboring rooms) did not experience the same symptoms.

In 2017, the U.S. State Department concluded that the health problems were either the result of an attack or due to exposure to an unknown device, but that it was not blaming the Cuban government, and would not say who was to blame. Speculation centered around a sonic weapon, with some researchers pointing to infrasound as a possible cause. Affected people described symptoms such as hearing loss, memory loss, and nausea. Some U.S. embassy workers report lasting health problems.

In August 2017, the United States expelled two Cuban diplomats in retaliation for perceived Cuban responsibility. The next month, the U.S. State Department stated that it was removing non-essential staff from the U.S. embassy and warned U.S. citizens not to travel to Cuba. In October 2017, President Donald Trump said he believed that Cuba was responsible for the occurrences, calling them a "very unusual attack".

In response to the incidents, the U.S. State Department announced in March 2018 that it would continue to staff its embassy in Havana at the minimum level required to perform core diplomatic and consular functions; the embassy had been operating under "ordered departure status" since September 2017, but the status was set to expire. This announcement extended the staff reductions indefinitely.

Canadian personnel

In March 2018, some Canadian diplomats traveled to Pittsburgh to consult with the neurologist that had previously diagnosed brain issues in US diplomats. The neurologist concluded that MRIs of the Canadians showed evidence of brain damage that was similar to what the neurologist reported for the American counterparts. In early 2018, Global Affairs Canada ended family postings to Cuba and withdrew all staff with families. Several of the Canadians who were affected in 2017 were reported to still be unable to resume their work due to the severity of their ailments. The lack of knowledge of the cause of Havana syndrome, as of February 2019, had made it challenging for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate. In 2019, the Canadian government announced that it was reducing its embassy staff in Havana after a 14th Canadian diplomat reported symptoms of Havana syndrome in late December 2018.

Beyond Cuba

Beginning in late 2017, suspected attacks targeting U.S. intelligence personnel were reported in an expanding set of locations around the world, including Moscow, Russia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Poland; Taiwan; and Australia. Other reports came from Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Austria, among other countries. The Russian embassy in Australia dismissed reports of Russian operatives targeting CIA personnel in Australia.

China

Starting in early 2018, U.S. diplomats in China began reporting symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome. The first such incident was reported by an American diplomat in China in April 2018 at the Guangzhou consulate, the largest U.S. consulate in China. The employee reported that he had been experiencing symptoms since late 2017. Several individuals were taken to the U.S. for medical examination. A USAID employee at the U.S. embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, reported a different incident in September 2017; the employee's report was discounted by the U.S. State Department.