Originally Posted by
Planigale
It is likely that there is more than one explanation for the symptoms. Many of the symptoms would fit with someone buying cheap (illegal) rum and having a party. Toxic alcohols e.g. methanol would cause many of the symptoms. An unknown toxin might even be involved as seen in the toxic oil outbreak in Spain.
An interesting question might be how many cubans have similar symptoms.
One way to look at this is to consider how many symptoms one has every day: short dizzy spell, headache, itchy skin, scratchy throat, gas pain, joint pain, etc. This is normal and most of the time people pay no attention to these things. (There are actually a few studies on what, given all these common symptoms, triggers people to seek medical attention. But I digress.)
Now say that person hears about a secret sonic attack. Suddenly those everyday symptoms come to that person's attention. "OMG, I do have a headache and scratchy throat! Look at my skin, does that look normal?"
This is a common sequence of events for this kind of hysteria.