Havana Syndrome

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – US Vice-President Kamala Harris’s trip to Hanoi in Vietnam was delayed on Tuesday due to a possible case of the “Havana Syndrome”.

Concept –

Back in 2016, reports first emerged of US diplomats and other employees of the government falling ill in Havana, the capital of Cuba.
The patients said they heard strange sounds and experienced odd physical sensations in their hotel rooms or homes. They said they had symptoms of nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems and hearing loss. This mysterious illness came to be called the “Havana Syndrome”.
However, in December 2020, a report by the National Academies of Sciences (NAS)found “directed energy beams” as a “plausible” cause of the Havana Syndrome.