The "Havana syndrome" explained

Brut America

Headaches, dizziness, memory loss, sharp ringing in the ears ...   A mysterious illness is plaguing American diplomats around the world — the most recent cases were reported during Kamala Harris' trip to Vietnam. This is the "Havana syndrome" explained.

Transcript

00:00It was in intense pressure on both of my temples at the same time I heard of this low humming sound.

00:08First, it started in Havana in late 2016 and spread to China in 2017. Two months ago,

00:34press reports described more than 130 possible cases all over the world,

00:40including right here in Washington, D.C. Simply put, this is kind of scary stuff.

01:04I woke up in the middle of the night because I had this incredible case of vertigo. It felt

01:12almost as if I was in some kind of carnival ride. I'd spent years in war zones of Iraq and

01:17Afghanistan. I'd put my life on the line. This was the most terrifying experience of my life.

01:21I had no control. Symptoms were progressively getting worse with me. My headaches were

01:26getting worse. The most concerning symptom for me was memory loss, especially short-term memory loss.

01:32Sharp localized ear pain, dull unilateral headache, tinnitus or ringing in one ear,

01:38vertigo, visual focusing issues, disorientation, nausea, and extreme fatigue.

01:53Americans who heard these sounds in Havana have described slightly different sounds.

01:58And even in some of the recordings that the AP has reviewed, there are slight variations.

02:02However, this high-pitched cricket sound seems to appear in all of them.

02:18That kind of technology is very real and it can threaten people, not by bullets,

02:27simply by using the capabilities to send a wave into an embassy.

02:37For many years, American personnel serving in Cuba, China, and elsewhere have experienced

02:45unexplained serious medical harm, including in some cases permanent brain injuries.

02:55These conditions are believed to be connected to a mysterious direct-to-energy weapon

03:02used by those who are our adversaries.

03:17The concern here is that this had appeared to be restricted to Cuba. Now that we know that

03:22something similar has occurred in China, there are growing concerns that this could be a problem

03:27with no geographic limitations. It's something that American diplomats and others might have

03:32to worry about regardless of where in the world they're serving.

03:35Remember when American diplomats in Cuba were hearing those strange sounds and then

03:40suffered brain damage from some sort of mysterious invisible attacks? Well, there's now a report,

03:46actually multiple reports, of an eerily similar incident near the White House last year.

03:52We, of course, take any reported incident of Havana syndrome seriously, and while this is not

04:12a confirmed case at this point in time, we take any reported incident which was recent and was

04:16reported publicly, I will note, quite seriously. As a result, there was an assessment done of the

04:21safety of the vice president, and there was a decision made that she could continue travel

04:25along with her staff. It was not a person traveling in her party or anything along those lines.

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