Definition:
Kuru is a brain disease that became an endemic in Papua New Guinea. It is also called “laughing sickness” due to the hallucinations the patients suffer due to the disease.
Symptoms and Signs:
The symptoms of kuru include fever, chills, and recurring hallucinations.
Causes:
This disease is subtype of prion diseases. During the endemic, the disease was transmitted by eating the flesh of a deceased family member, which was a funeral practice of the people in Papua New Guinea. The elimination of the practice caused the disease to disappear.
