What Experts Know About Havana Syndrome (And Why It's Still A Mystery)

The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Cuba since the early 1900s, which is why they maintain an embassy on Cuban soil. However, that embassy was actually closed for several years in the mid-2010s, only reopening this year. The reason for this is a mysterious medical affliction that suddenly struck those present in the embassy in 2016, the precise cause of which remains unidentified to this day. The name of this affliction is "Havana Syndrome," named after the city in which the embassy is located.

On a seemingly ordinary day in 2016, numerous diplomatic workers and members of the United States Central Intelligence Agency stationed at the United States Embassy in Havana were suddenly struck by a piercing, metallic ringing in their ears, which caused several debilitating symptoms such as nausea, vertigo, and erratic behaviors, with some even suffering physical brain damage. The embassy was closed as an investigation began, but the cause still hasn't been identified.

Ringing ears, nausea, and vertigo are all fairly common afflictions, characteristic of a variety of ailments around the world. However, for so many individuals to be struck by these specific symptoms simultaneously and at such intensity was unprecedented, to say the least. For this reason, one of the predominant theories regarding Havana Syndrome is that it resulted from a directed attack by a hostile foreign entity, possibly through the use of sonic weaponry.

The CIA has dismissed this claim, however, as there is no credible evidence pointing to the existence of such a weapon or any country possessing one with hostile intentions toward the U.S. The working theory is that the CIA employees and diplomats experienced a coincidental triggering of pre-existing conditions. However, the CIA has conceded that several of the over 1,000 reported cases can't be explained in this manner.

Havana Syndrome has become a popular subject for both armchair and professional theorists. One theory approaches the matter from a similar angle to the sonic weapons theory, though rather than being a result of a concentrated effort, it posits that the syndrome is a product of malfunctioning audible listening devices. Another major theory pins the blame on the short-tailed West Indies cricket, a species of insect native to Cuba whose intense, fluttering wingbeats have been known to induce similar symptoms in nearby humans.

At the moment, the true nature of Havana Syndrome still remains a mystery.