HAVANA
SYNDROME – SCI & TECH
News:
Centre to look into
‘Havana Syndrome’: What it means and the term’s history
What's
in the news?
● Recently,
the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said that dealing with the
issue of Havana Syndrome is a top priority and that it will keep investigating
the cause and how to protect staff.
Havana
Syndrome:
● Havana
Syndrome refers to a set of mental
health symptoms that are said to be experienced by US intelligence and
embassy officials in various countries.
● It
typically involves symptoms such as
○ Hearing
certain sounds without any outside noise being present.
○ Nausea,
vertigo and headaches, memory loss and issues with balance.
Causes:
● No
one is entirely sure. Initially, it was speculated to be a sonic attack done by
Cuban intelligence agencies.
● Later,
the National Academy of Sciences noted in its report that the best explanation
for the syndrome would be pulsed,
directed microwaves.
● Microwaves
are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than those of
visible light but shorter than those of radio waves.
● They
fall within the electromagnetic spectrum
between radio waves and infrared radiation.
● Microwaves
have frequencies ranging from about 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz).
What
are ‘Microwave Weapons’?
● Microwave
weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct
energy weapons, which aim for highly focused energy in the form of sonic,
laser, or microwaves, at a target.
● These
weapons are based on the principle that microwave radiation of a certain kind
can cause a buzzing sensation in the head, due to a phenomenon known as the
thermoelastic effect.
● Such
a weaponized microwave beam may cause a very slight expansion of the brain and
produce a sound-like pressure, which
strictly speaking is not sound but can be traumatic.
Concerns:
● Concerns
have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic
impact in the long term.
● A
number of countries are thought to have developed these weapons to target both
humans and electronic systems.
● It
can have both acute and long-term effects - without leaving signs of physical
damage.