Havana Syndrome

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.

 

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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