Havana syndrome

American  

[huh-vanuh sin-drohm, -druhm] / həˈvænə ˌsɪn droʊm, -drəm /

noun

1. a cluster of diverse, unexplained medical symptoms first reported by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba, in 2016, also reported later by other U.S. government personnel in other locations.

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Etymology

Origin of Havana syndrome

First recorded in 2017

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Havana syndrome

Embassy in Havana began reporting strange sounds and feelings of nausea and brain fog, a cluster of symptoms that became known as Havana syndrome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Since then, the question has become whether or not the technology has advanced and been weaponized, with suspicions of handheld devices used to induce the symptoms called The Havana syndrome.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024

The inquiry, depending on what it discovers and concludes, could reopen the debate over the causes of Havana syndrome, which quieted after the intelligence community said it was not the result of an adversarial country.

From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

The declassified report urges further sustained efforts to find the root cause of Havana syndrome, more and better collaboration among intelligence agencies and greater respect for those who have suffered from related disorders.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2023

U.S. intelligence agencies determined that a foreign adversary is “very unlikely” to be responsible for Havana syndrome, the mysterious ailment that spies and diplomats have reported experiencing.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

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