Mystery illness in Cuba, envoys sue Canadian govt

Five Canadian diplomats and members of their families who fell victim to mysterious health complaints while posted to Cuba are suing the government for 28 million Canadian dollars ($21.1million) in damages.

The group of 14 said Ottawa delayed their evacuation from Havana and their medical treatment. Last year, Canadian and US officials were recalled from Havana after complaining of dizziness and migraines.

Despite being back in Canada for over 18 months, they said they all still suffer from what they called "Havana Syndrome", Canadian broadcaster CBC reported on Wednesday. They said they began experiencing symptoms of this syndrome in spring 2017.

The causes of their illness were not known, but Canada discounted the idea of a "sonic attack" on its Embassy, reports say.

According to the broadcaster, several families were subsequently moved from Havana, but until April 2018 Canada continued to post new staff to Cuba despite warnings from US counterparts. "My wife, she isn't the same anymore," one unnamed diplomat told CBC, adding that "she has gaps in her memory, headaches, problems hearing".

Washington withdrew most of its non-essential personnel from Cuba in September 2017 and said 21 embassy employees had been affected.

The affected Canadian diplomats were being monitored by the University of Ottawa's Brain and Mind Research Institute and the Brain Repair Centre at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, CBC said.