Israeli researchers crack mystery of ‘Havana syndrome'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A Havana neighborhood being fumigated as a part of the fight against mosquitos carrying Zika virus in 2016. Photo by Matyas Rehak via Shutterstock.com
Between 2016 and 2018, about 40 Canadian and US diplomats and their families stationed in the Cuban capital mysteriously became sick. The so-called “Havana Syndrome” caused headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and difficulty concentrating and falling asleep.
The initial fear was that the Cubans were triggering the symptoms with some kind of sonic weapon.
Research conducted by Dr. Alon Friedman of Ben-Gurion University and colleagues at the Dalhousie University Brain Repair Center in Nova Scotia, Canada, points to a different culprit: overexposure to pesticides — in particular, fumigation to stop the spread of the Zika virus prominent around that time.
They found a correlation between the individuals most affected and the number of fumigations that were performed at their residences. Both the Cuban and Canadian authorities were fumigating more frequently than usual, according to records from the Canadian embassy.
The researchers detected different levels of damage in an area of the brain that is susceptible to neurotoxins and that can cause the kind of symptoms reported by the diplomats and their families.
The report says that the results “support the diagnosis of acquired brain injury.”
The report also compares the symptoms in Cuba with other neurotoxic attacks over history, including the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack in 1995 and the death of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. Those cases resulted from high-dose exposure to neurotoxins, whereas the Cuban incidents were consistent with low-dose exposure.
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Between 2016 and 2018, about 40 Canadian and US diplomats and their families stationed in the Cuban capital mysteriously became sick. The so-called “Havana Syndrome” caused headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and difficulty concentrating and falling asleep.
The initial fear was that the Cubans were triggering the symptoms with some kind of sonic weapon.
I remember reading about that. The last I had heard was that despite a lot of investigations, the cause remained a mystery. (Some sort of silent sound-wave generating weapon was suspected but never proven).
Good to see that the mystery has finally been solved.
Always figured this problem was the result of environmental factors, I thought the conspiracy theories of sonic weapons ridiculous given the Cubans financial inability to keep a adequate supply of even toilet paper (among other essentials) in stock
I remember reading about this. It didn't make any sense that the Cubans would ''attack'' Americans and Canadians.
Happy that the mystery has been solved.
I also remember reading about it-- and had the same reaction.
Opening up diplomatic relations-- and trade and tourism was a "win-win" for both countries. it didn't make sense to think the Cubans would attack Americans there.
(In fact, IIRC, there were finally some U.S. cruise ships allowed to go to Cuba ...but this was stopped after these alleged "attacks"...?)
I didn't realize that this was why we went to not communicating with Cuba. I thought it was a mutually beneficial relationship.
It was.good for both the U.S. and Cuba.
Especially if you were a cigar-smoker.
Makes me recall the story about when Kinky Friedman offered Bill Clinton a Habana Cigar, and Clinton was hesitant to take it, Kinky told him:
"It's okay. Don't think of it as benefiting their economy, think of it as burning their fields."
“The study validates the need for us to continue to learn more about the use of pesticides and other toxins,” Friedman said. “It is a global health issue that reminds us how much we still have to learn about the impact that toxins have on our health.”
Glad to see the Israelis got to the bottom of that mystery.
Where else?