Havana syndrome

20 Stories

No Brain Injury Seen in 'Havana Syndrome' Patients
For 'Havana
Syndrome'
Patients, No Sign
of Brain Injury
new studies

For 'Havana Syndrome' Patients, No Sign of Brain Injury

Pair of NIH studies may not settle the debate, however

(Newser) - Two new studies by the National Institutes of Health found that US diplomats who suffered from mysterious "Havana syndrome" ailments show no sign of brain injuries, reports CNN . Don't expect this to settle the debate on the matter, however.
  • The tests: Scans of more than 80 patients found
...

'Havana Syndrome' Study Involves Dozens of Ferrets

Pentagon-funded research is trying to recreate symptoms using radio waves

(Newser) - A recent r eport from US intelligence agencies stated that there was no "credible evidence" that Havana Syndrome was caused by any "foreign adversary"—but unfortunately for lab animals including dozens of ferrets, research is still in progress. Politico reports that according to insiders and public documents,...

Havana Syndrome Report Suggests Causes Are Benign

No evidence foreign adversary has a weapon that could be responsible

(Newser) - More than 1,500 US government employees have reported cases of so-called Havana Syndrome since late 2016, and a new US intelligence report has concluded their illness didn't come at the hands of a foreign entity. "We cannot tie a foreign adversary to any incident," a US...

Doctor Studying Havana Syndrome Gets It Himself

Investigator talks about lingering problems from mystery ailment

(Newser) - Five years ago, Dr. Paul Andrews was among the first CIA investigators sent to Havana, Cuba, where personnel in the US embassy first reported symptoms of what came to be known as “Havana Syndrome,” or “anomalous health incidents” as many officials prefer to call it. CNN’s...

'Havana Syndrome' Victims to Receive Compensation

Biggest amounts could go to those who lost their jobs because of symptoms

(Newser) - After years of investigations and legislative pressure from Congress on their behalf, some victims of "Havana syndrome" are to receive $100,000 to $200,000 each in compensation. The health problems first reported by diplomats and intelligence officials include headaches, vision problems, dizziness, and brain fog. The US has...

Havana Syndrome Happening in US, Too: 60 Minutes

Former national security adviser John Bolton corroborates accounts of suspected victims

(Newser) - The baffling ailment known as Havana syndrome has had a common denominator in reported cases: They occurred overseas. Now, however, 60 Minutes reports that several cases have been reported not just in Washington but at the White House itself. In Sunday night's segment, a number of national security officials...

Panel Identifies 'Plausible Cause' of Havana Syndrome

Experts say symptoms could be caused by electromagnetic energy devices

(Newser) - Two weeks after an i nterim CIA report stated there was no evidence of a "sustained campaign" behind Havana syndrome, a new report has taken a very different tone, saying the "genuine and compelling" symptoms can be plausibly explained by pulsed electromagnetic energy devices. The panel of intelligence...

Victims' Group Slams CIA Report on Havana Syndrome

Task force found no evidence of 'sustained campaign' from a foreign power

(Newser) - The CIA has issued the interim findings of its Havana syndrome investigation—and victims of the mysterious syndrome are far from happy with what has been disclosed. Officials tell the New York Times that the task force concluded that the vast majority of around 1,000 reported cases can be...

Hit by Havana Syndrome, His Problems Had Only Just Begun

Mark Lenzi sues State Department, says he's been discriminated against

(Newser) - A State Department officer who says he and his family started suffering from what is now referred to as "Havana syndrome" in 2017 is now suing the State Department and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The disability discrimination suit is the first known lawsuit against the US government regarding...

Havana Syndrome Cases Hit Ahead of Blinken's Visit

Ailments surface in Colombia

(Newser) - US officials are investigating suspected cases of Havana syndrome at the US embassy in Colombia, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to travel next week, days after similar reports surfaced at the US embassy in Germany. Emails from US Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg describe a number of "...

Havana Syndrome Attack Reported in New Country

Sources say intelligence officer evacuated from Serbia by CIA

(Newser) - 'Havana Syndrome' has apparently reached Serbia. Current and former US officials tell the Wall Street Journal an intelligence officer serving there was recently evacuated by the CIA after suffering serious symptoms consistent with the attacks. The attacks by unknown assailants using still-unclear methods have expanded of late after originating...

CIA Director's Entourage Hit by Havana Syndrome

Officer traveling with Williams J. Burns in India received medical attention back home

(Newser) - A CIA officer traveling in India with CIA Director Williams J. Burns reported symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome this month. It's unclear whether the officer was targeted because he was traveling with Burns, who's made it a top priority to investigate what the US government terms anomalous health...

'Anomalous Health Incidents' Reported Last Week in Vietnam

A few additional details emerge behind situation that delayed Kamala Harris' flight

(Newser) - US officials are continuing to investigate possible cases of so-called Havana Syndrome that delayed Vice President Kamala Harris' trip from Singapore to Vietnam. There have been two separate cases of unexplained health incidents reported by US personnel in Vietnam within the past week, US officials said. It was not immediately...

'Anomalous Health Incident' Delays Kamala Harris' Flight

Outlets suggest it might be related to Havana syndrome, not COVID

(Newser) - A vaguely worded statement from the State Department about a hiccup in Vice President Kamala Harris' travel plans seems to be raising more questions than it answers. Harris flew from Singapore to Vietnam on Thursday, but the flight took off only after a three-hour delay, reports the Hill . The official...

'Havana Syndrome' Reportedly Hits in Another Country

'Wall Street Journal' reports 2 officials have experienced symptoms in Germany

(Newser) - The cause of the so-called "Havana syndrome" impacting US diplomats, spies, and the family members living with them abroad remains a mystery, or so administration officials were told last week, reported the New York Times at the time. That mystery deepened yet again on Wednesday with an exclusive report...

Bin Laden Hunt Veteran Now Going After Havana Syndrome

Undercover officer is leading CIA task force on the issue

(Newser) - A 10-year counterterrorism veteran who was involved in the hunt for Osama bin Laden will head the CIA's task force on the Havana Syndrome, a mysterious condition that affected up to 200 US officials or their family members around the world, according to reports. The National Security Council is...

US Diplomats are Falling Ill in Austria

Vienna's diplomatic community sees rash of 'Havana syndrome'-like mystery illness

(Newser) - The Biden administration is investigating multiple incidents of US diplomats in Austria suffering from a mystery illness not unlike what struck their counterparts in Cuba years earlier. Twenty officials in Vienna have reported symptoms since the president took office this year, the New Yorker first reported Friday. Per BBC , the...

2nd Case of 'Havana Syndrome' Near WH Emerges

Investigators still racking their brains to figure out what's caused dozens of mystery illnesses globally

(Newser) - In 2019, a White House official walking her dog in Arlington, Va., suddenly experienced ringing in her ears, felt her face start to tingle, and came down with a headache. In early November 2020, a National Security Council official fell ill after walking near the Ellipse , on the White House'...

12 CIA Agents on 3 Continents Treated for 'Havana Syndrome'

That's just so far this year; total cases number more than 130: reports

(Newser) - More than 130 US personnel within the CIA, State Department, Defense Department, and other agencies have suffered ailments, including what could be permanent brain damage, as a result of mysterious incidents that began five years ago—far more than the 60 cases that have been publicly disclosed. That's according...

Possible 'Havana Syndrome' Attack Hit Near White House

Federal agencies investigating at least 2 incidents in the US

(Newser) - Last year, GQ reported that strange, apparent attacks like those that sickened diplomats in Cuba had taken place inside the US . A month later, one such incident occurred just outside the White House. A National Security Council official was sickened near the Ellipse, the oval lawn on the White House'...

20 Stories