kuru
/ˈkʊruː/
noun
- A rare and fatal brain disease that causes shaking and loss of coordination, once spread among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea through cannibalism.
- Because kuru has a very long incubation period, some people developed the disease decades after exposure.
- Kuru was first observed by Western doctors in the 1950s among the Fore people.
- The symptoms of kuru include tremors, difficulty walking, and eventually complete loss of motor control.