What is the epidemiology of Kuru?

11. GAJDUSEK DC, ZIGAS V. Kuru; clinical, pathological and epidemiological study of an acute progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system among natives of the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea. Am J Med. 1959 Mar;26(3):442-69. [PubMed] 12. Alpers MP. Review. The epidemiology of kuru: monitoring the epidemic from its peak to its end.

How did the Fore people get kuru?

The Fore people contracted the disease by performing cannibalism on corpses during funeral rituals. The name kuru means “to shiver” or “trembling in fear.” The symptoms of the disease include muscle twitching and loss of coordination.

Is Kuru contagious?

Kuru is an extremely rare illness caused by a contagious protein (prion) found in the brain tissue of people with the disease. The only way to acquire kuru is to ingest this tissue or have the prion enter through an open wound. Kuru was first identified in the Fore tribe in the highlands of New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific.