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But that doesn't explain the now hundreds of similar reports of illness and other side effects, usually reported after hearing the sound.

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Mass hysteria combined with nocebo effect? Triggered by an encounter with cicada trapped in a hotel room.

Similar example, the Pokemon Panic of 1997: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Radford#Pok%C3%A9mon_...

A few legit cases of seizure triggered thousands of "false" cases.

These attacks are reported to have long-lasting consequences. That would be (I think?) incompatible with mass hysteria or nocebo effects.

Remarkably, after the recordings that preceded the illnesses were found to be crickets, everyone stopped reporting the cricket noise before the illness. Now, the American diplomats in Vienna report a new noise, a ringing in their ears, which apparently is not recorded.

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