Known as a mysterious illness, Havana syndrome has affected over 200 people, and has started spreading across the world.
Havana syndrome has only been reported in the past few years with the first case only being reported in 2016.
This case was reported by CIA officials and State Department employees who were working at the American embassy in Cuba, Havana.
They reported their symptoms some including hearing mechanical sounds, experiencing uncomfortable pressure in their ears, vertigo, vision problems and difficulty concentrating.
This was the first time this type of syndrome was ever recorded or discovered with people experiencing different symptoms.
It is believed to be caused by directed microwave radiation, but this has not been confirmed and investigations continue.
In 2017 Donald Trump accused Cuba of producing attacks causing these symptoms on US officials.
The syndrome has predominantly affected America, but has also become global having been reported by officials and their families over the past few years.
These included those who were stationed in the United Kingdom, Russia, Poland, Austria, Colombia, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Signs and Symptoms of Havana Syndrome
In 2019, The New York Times reported that a military officer drove into a junction due to feeling intense nauseous and having a headache.
Other reports have recorded people suffering from intense headaches, insomnia and hearing difficulties.
The syndrome is named after the place it is oriented from with many around 200 US officials experiencing some form of Havana syndrome.
According to reports half of these officials who have been affected were CIA agents or their families.
The main symptoms of Havana syndrome can include dizziness, nausea, migraines and memory lapses.
What causes Havana syndrome?
As the syndrome is still relevantly new, there is no confirmed known reason why these officials are suffering from Havana syndrome.
During the early stages of discovering the syndrome, US officials reportedly believed that Americans who had been stationed in Cuba had been targeted with a covert sonic weapon, operating outside of the usual human hearing.
However, later scientists at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published an assessment addressing that the symptoms were caused by a “directed, pulsed radiofrequency (RF) energy device”, a form of energy that has microwaves.
Despite this assessment, intelligent officers have yet to find evidence to confirm the symptoms are caused by this device.