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    Mass hysteria may explain 'sonic attacks' in Cuba, say top neurologists

    Despite 22 Americans reporting symptoms no evidence of a weapon foundExperts suspect a psychosomatic disorder linked to high stress in Havana
    by Julian Borger and Philip Jaekl Oct 12, 2017 4 minutes
    Picture of a reflection of the US embassy in Havana, taken on October 3, 2017. Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Tuesday slammed the US expulsion of Cuban diplomats as 'unjustified... unfounded and unacceptable,' in a deepening row over mysterious attacks on staff at the US embassy in Havana. / AFP PHOTO / YAMIL LAGE / Getty Images

    Senior neurologists have suggested that a spate of mysterious ailments among US diplomats in Cuba – which has caused a diplomat rift between the two countries – could have been caused by a form of “mass hysteria” rather than sonic attacks.

    The unexplained incidents have prompted the US to withdraw most of its embassy staff from Havana and expel the majority of Cuban diplomats from Washington.

    The neurologists who talked to the Guardian cautioned that no proper diagnosis is possible without far more information and access to the 22 US victims, who have suffered a range of symptoms including hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches and dizziness.

    The state department

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