Canada pulls families of diplomats in Cuba amid unusual illnesses

[Alan]

Ottawa will remove families of diplomats posted at its embassy in Cuba as the cause of unusual health symptoms is still unknown, though information from medical specialists has raised concerns of a new type of brain injury, Canada said on Monday.

Canada is still investigating the cause of the symptoms that were first reported by Canadians connected to the Havana embassy in 2017 and have also affected U.S. diplomats in Cuba.

The symptoms, which include dizziness, headaches and nausea, have been found in 10 of the 27 Canadian personnel and family members that initially received medical testing, a senior government official said.

While there have been no new incidents since the fall of 2017, diplomatic families that have returned to Canada have continued to experience symptoms. In some cases, the symptoms have lessened in intensity before returning, the official said.

Canada has also received information from Canadian and American medical specialists that raised concerns of a possible type of acquired brain injury, the official said, while initial theories of a sonic attack first raised by U.S. officials last year or mass psychosomatic causes are now considered to be improbable.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-in-cuba-amid-unusual-illnesses-idUSKBN1HN2TU

 

[rietrot]

This is how the zombie apocalypse starts. First dizziness and headaches. Then people lose some part of their higher brain functions and then they start eating each other.

 

[Nithan15]

This is how the zombie apocalypse starts. First dizziness and headaches. Then people lose some part of their higher brain functions and then they start eating each other.

Hello Clarise

 

[ForceFate]

This is how the zombie apocalypse starts. First dizziness and headaches. Then people lose some part of their higher brain functions and then they start eating each other.

Found this article...

https://www.ft.com/content/eabe233e-37ec-11e8-b161-65936015ebc3

 

[access]

This is how the zombie apocalypse starts. First dizziness and headaches.

followed by reports of erratic behaviour and extreme anger. "you are advised to keep clear of people displaying these symptoms, stay indoors away from public places."

 

[Gordon_R]

New explanation makes some sense: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49770369

Canadian researchers say they may have identified the cause of a mystery illness which plagued diplomatic staff in Cuba in 2016.

Some reports in the US suggested an "acoustic attack" caused US staff similar symptoms, sparking speculation about a secret sonic weapon.

But the Canadian team suggests that neurotoxins from mosquito fumigation are the more likely cause.

The Zika virus, carried by mosquitoes, was a major health concern at the time.

So-called "Havana syndrome" caused symptoms including headaches, blurred vision, dizziness and tinnitus.

Canadian diplomats were affected by similar reactions to US counterparts - though the study noted that the symptoms of the Canadians were more gradual than the "acute, directional... auditory stimulus" in some of the US cases.

The study notes that tests carried out on 28 participants - seven of whom were tested both before and after being posted to Havana - support a diagnosis of brain injury acquired by diplomats and their families while in Cuba.

The patterns of brain injury "all raise the hypothesis of recurrent, low-dose exposure to neurotoxins", the report said.

Specifically, the results were "highly suggestive" of something called cholinesterase inhibitor intoxication.

Cholinesterase is an important enzyme in the human nervous system, and blocking it through an inhibitor can lead to death. The chemical weapon, Sarin, is an example of a potent cholinesterase inhibitor, as is VX, which was used in the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader.

But the low, consistent doses the researchers believe were delivered are consistent with exposure to commercial pesticides, the study's authors said.

And fumigation in Cuba increased after the country "declared war" on the Zika virus in 2016, spraying gas around or even inside diplomats' homes.

Embassy records showed a significant increase in fumigation with weekly exposure to high doses of pesticides, the study said.

The Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, affected 47 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that year, causing microcephaly in some newborn babies.

The Canadian researchers said that proving the definitive cause was "difficult, if not impossible at this time" - but that their hypothesis offered "a plausible explanation".