Havana Syndrome

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About Havana Syndrome

It refers to a set of mental health symptoms that are said to be experienced by United States intelligence and embassy officials in various countries.
It is worth noting that in general, the word ‘syndrome’ simply means a set of symptoms.
It does not mean a mental health symptoms condition, but rather a set of symptoms that are usually experienced together whose origins may be difficult to confirm.
Symptoms: Such as hearing certain sounds without any outside noise, nausea, vertigo and headaches, memory loss and balance issues.
Origin
- As the name suggests, it traces its roots to Cuba in late 2016.
- This was about a year after the US opened its embassy in the capital city of Havana after ties between the two countries were normalised in 2015.
- Some US intelligence officials and members of the staff at the embassy began experiencing sudden bursts of pressure in their brains followed by persistent headaches, feelings of disorientation and insomnia.
- In India, the first such case was reported in 2021, when a US intelligence officer travelling to New Delhi with CIA director William Burns reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome.
No one is entirely sure about the causes of this syndrome.

Q1) What is a syndrome?

A syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and characteristics that tend to occur together and often indicate the presence of a particular medical condition or disorder.

Source: Centre to look into ‘Havana Syndrome’: What it means and the term’s history