Havana Syndrome

Havana syndrome, also known as anomalous health incidents, is a disputed condition first reported starting in 2016 at about a dozen overseas locations, in which United States and Canadian government officials and their families reported symptoms associated with a perceived localized loud sound, lasting for months and including disabling cognitive problems, balance problems, dizziness, insomnia and headaches; it is not recognized as a disease by the medical community. A number of government and non-government agencies investigated the reports, including the U.S. State Department, the University of Pennsylvania, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, the JASON advisory group, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the Cuban Academy of Sciences, seven intelligence agencies under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Institutes of Health, along with several news organizations, and official investigations proposed various theories, including directed-energy weapons, psychological and social causes, and toxic chemicals, without reaching consensus on a cause. The United States government has established programs providing medical and financial support to people who reported symptoms, though some affected individuals continue to campaign for additional support.