VOA慢速英语2021--什么是“哈瓦那综合症”

What Is ‘Havana Syndrome¹?’

American Vice² President Kamala Harris' visit to Vietnam was delayed for a few hours on Tuesday. Officials said two possible cases of "Havana Syndrome" among American workers in the country led to the delay.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the cases had not been confirmed and did not involve anyone traveling with Harris.

Havana Syndrome is the name for a series of mysterious health incidents first reported by American diplomats³ and other government employees in the Cuban capital in late 2016.

Sufferers reported hearing loud noise, loss of balance, intense head pressure, and vision problems. Many continued to experience these or other health problems for some time.

Similar unexplained incidents have since been reported by U.S. officials and family members in other countries, including Germany, Austria, Russia and China. Especially worrying are the discoveries of at least two possible incidents around Washington, D.C. One happened near the White House last November.

What causes the syndrome?

Following the reports from Havana, U.S. officials told the Associated Press and other news organizations that the diplomats had been exposed to a sound device that operated outside the range of normal hearing.

It was not immediately clear if the device was a weapon or had some other purpose. Officials added investigators⁴ were looking into the possibilities that the incidents were carried out by a third country such as Russia. Russia denied any involvement.

The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Brain Injury and Repair did a study in 2018 to compare the brain images of 40 Americans stationed in Havana with other healthy individuals. The study found evidence that American diplomats experienced some form of brain injury in Havana.

A study published last December in the National Academy of Sciences identifies "directed, pulsed radio frequency energy" to be the most probable cause of Havana Syndrome.

James Giordano is a professor at Georgetown University. He has worked with the State Department on investigating the Havana cases. Giordano told the AP last May that there is evidence of brain injuries in several people, suggesting they may have been affected⁵ by radio waves. He identified two possible sources. One is a device used to directly target people. Another is a tool that used energy waves for intelligence gathering⁶.

Some scientists, however, disagreed with the findings.

Robert Baloh is a medical doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles. He and Robert Bartholomew of Botany College in New Zealand wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, "the most likely explanation for the recent outbreak of mysterious symptoms in Cuba and elsewhere is mass psychogenic illness." A mass psychogenic illness is when people learn of sickness among others in their group and begin to feel sick themselves.

In June, lawmakers passed the HAVANA act to provide support to Americans who might have brain injuries "from likely directed energy attacks." Senator⁷ Susan Collins of Maine said those "who have undergone these attacks while serving our country should be treated the same way we would treat a soldier who suffered a traumatic injury on the battlefield."

William Burns is the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA. He told NPR in July that Havana Syndrome is "real and it's serious." Burns added, "I am absolutely determined⁸ — and I've spent a great deal of time and energy on this in the four months that I've been CIA director — to get to the bottom of the question of what and who caused this."

Words in This Story

vision - n. the ability to see

exposed - adj. not protected or covered

range - n. a group of different things

pulse - v. to produce a strong, regular beat

frequency - n. the number of times that something like a sound wave or radio wave is repeated

symptom - n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present

traumatic - adj. causing someone to become very upset in a way that can lead to mental and emotional problems

determined - adj. having a strong feeling that you are going to do something

1 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。