TWO US intelligence agencies have revealed there is a “roughly even chance” that a mystery foreign weapon may have hurt American diplomats serving abroad.
Between 2016 and 2018, US embassy staff working in Cuba started complaining of the so-called Havana Syndrome ailments – leading to suspicions they might have been deliberately caused by a foreign power.
APTourists ride classic convertible cars on the Malecon beside the United States Embassy in Havana, Cuba, Oct. 3, 2017[/caption]
Hundreds of US spies and diplomats complained of migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.
Nine years later, at least 200 occurrences of “Havanna syndrome” have been reported in several countries, including China, Colombia, France, and the US.
Theories about the cause of the symptoms have fueled arguments that the illnesses were caused by a bioweapon from a foreign country.
But not enough evidence has ever been recovered to point towards an absolute culprit of the health incidents.
A majority of US intelligence agencies today reaffirmed in an updated assessment that it is “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the Havana Syndrome ailments.
Two other agencies, however, have shifted their judgments since their 2023 assessment that discounted the likelihood that a foreign foe caused the ailments, said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence official.
One of those agencies now believes there is a “roughly even chance” that a foreign actor used “a novel weapon or prototype device” against “a small, undetermined subset of U.S. personnel or dependents”, one official said on the condition of anonymity.
The second agency judged that there was a “roughly even chance” that a foreign actor had developed such a weapon or prototype, but it was unlikely it deployed such a device, the official said.
They did not identify any of the seven agencies involved in the new assessment of what the US government calls “anomalous health incidents”.
In 2018, US intelligence officials believed Russia to be a leading suspect in deliberate attacks on diplomats and CIA officers overseas.
However, there was not enough evidence to prove the claims.
Russia has denied any involvement.
What is Havana Syndrome?
A SET of mysterious medical symptoms first seen in US offcails in Cuba’s capital.
Since 2016, people from the US working for the government from several different countries have experienced similar symptoms:
Most people with Havana syndrome hear a loud noise and feel intense pressure or vibration in their head, as well as pain in their ears or head.
Other symptoms included problems with:
Cognition (e.g., related to memory and concentration)
Dizziness and balance
Headaches
Irritability
Light and sound sensitivities
Nausea
Ringing in the ears, which is called tinnitus
Sleep impairment
Source: health.com
A new study conducted by researchers at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), found “real symptoms” of the mystery ailment they called “quite profound” and “disabling”.
One examined brain imaging while the other looked at blood biomarkers and clinical assessments of hearing, vision, hand-eye coordination, cognitive ability and balance.
Neither study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found any significant differences between a control group of healthy people and about 80 sufferers of the condition.
Despite the lack of visible scarring seen in their MRI tests, the NIH doctors behind the new study voiced sympathy for the afflicted diplomats and their health issues.
“These individuals have real symptoms and are going through a very tough time,” Dr Leighton Chan, NIH’s chief of rehabilitation medicine and the study’s lead author, wrote.
“They can be quite profound, disabling and difficult to treat.”
Researchers said it’s good news that they couldn’t spot long-term markers on brain scans that are typical after trauma or stroke.
Despite the lack of medical evidence, participants continued to report fatigue, post-traumatic stress (PTSD), depression, dizziness, vertigo and unsteadiness that cannot be explained by another illness.
Dr French said: “The post-traumatic stress and mood symptoms reported are not surprising given the ongoing concerns of many of the participants.
“Often these individuals have had significant disruption to their lives and continue to have concerns about their health and their future.
“This level of stress can have significant negative impacts on the recovery process.”
In 2019, a separate study by the University of California said that Havana syndrome was likely a psychological illness, triggered by the fear of working in a hostile “cauldron of stress” in Cuba and China.
The team said the phenomenon is more akin to shell shock, with the symptoms paralleling those associated with war trauma.
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