Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by mrpg on Saturday February 17 2018, @08:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the signal-to-noise-ratio dept.

Diplomats and other victims of mysterious "sonic attacks" at the American embassy in Havana, Cuba are experiencing neurological symptoms months after being affected:

A preliminary case report on the victims of mysterious "health attacks" in Havana, Cuba details the results of extensive clinical evaluations, concluding that the individuals appear to have sustained "injury to widespread brain networks without an associated history of head trauma."

The report offers the first medical glimpse of the victims—US government personnel and their families who were serving on diplomatic assignment in Havana. From late 2016 to August 2017, they reported experiencing bizarre and inexplicable sonic and sensory episodes. The episodes tended to include directional, irritating sounds, such as buzzing and piercing squeals, as well as pressure and vibrations. Afterward, the victims developed a constellation of neurological symptoms.

In clinical evaluations of 21 of 24 individuals affected, an interdisciplinary team of doctors at University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine retrospectively pieced together symptoms—an average of 203 days after individuals were exposed. They found that the most common issues persisting more than three months after exposure were cognitive impairment (17/21); balance issues (15/21); visual (18/21) and hearing (15/21) problems; sleep impairment (18/21); and headaches (16/21).

Previously: U.S. State Department Pulls Employees From Cuba, Issues Travel Warning Due to "Sonic Attacks"
A 'Sonic Attack' on Diplomats in Cuba? These Scientists Doubt It


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:53AM (4 children)

    by driverless (4770) on Sunday February 18 2018, @04:53AM (#639604)

    A much simpler explanation is sick building syndrome, which the embassy actually is: They had to spend a ton of money in the 1990s trying to revamp it because of this problem. Looks like they didn't quite succeed.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:31AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:31AM (#639613)

    Sick building syndrone: "These symptoms appear to be linked to time spent in a building, though no specific illness or cause can be identified"

    How the FUCK is this a much simpler explanation? Perhaps Jesus is putting LSD in the water supply at night because nobody's praying enough - that's a simple explanation, right?

  • (Score: 2) by beckett on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:54AM (1 child)

    by beckett (1115) on Sunday February 18 2018, @05:54AM (#639620)

    What evidence do you have it's the building causing neurological symptoms? if you claim it is due to a reno done in the '90s, there should be a number of cases of these types of disease from the past two decades, as well as reports of deafness.

    Is there any history of building residents becoming sick with similar damage? please post anything you might have; it would be very interesting if you have epidemiology on this building.

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:16PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 18 2018, @02:16PM (#639701)

      The Feng Shui is probably all wrong. One time I moved the sofa in my living room and got terrible pains until I moved it off my foot. Made a huge difference.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @12:53PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19 2018, @12:53PM (#640062)

    5 Canadian diplomatic staff reported similar symptoms. Mass hysteria could still account for this, but I doubt that environmental contamination local to the US embassy could.