The Origin Of Kuru: Delving Into The Rare Disease

Kuru was transmitted through cannibalism among the Fore People. These people were involved in the practice of cannibalism during the funeral rites of the dead person.

Might sound like an uncanny name but the Kuru disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that was historically found among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. This disease had its presence in 1950s and 1950 among the Fore people. The word kuru means to shiver or tremble in fear. There are many severe neurological symptoms associated with the disease and it includes difficulty coordinating movements, muscle tremors, and loss of muscle control. Kuru is caused by an infectious agent called a prion, which is a misfolded protein that can induce abnormal folding in other proteins, leading to the accumulation of damaged brain tissue.

Let’s look at some significant points pertaining to the disease!

How Was It Transmitted?

Kuru was transmitted through cannibalism among the Fore People. These people were involved in the practice of cannibalism during the funeral rites of the dead person. Individuals consumed the brains or other neural tissues of deceased individuals as part of their cultural funerary rituals.

What Are Its Symptoms?

The initial symptoms of kuru include difficulty walking, unsteady gait, muscle twitching, and loss of fine motor control. As it progresses, individuals may experience severe muscle spasms, difficulty swallowing, and eventual inability to move or communicate.

Decline In Cases

With the passing time, cultural changes have occurred and it has changed the the existence of such practices. Furthermore, the prohibition of cannibalism has significantly declined the number of cases pertaining to the Kuru. Hence, the last reported case was in 2009.

How Is It Connected To Other Prion Diseases?

Prion diseases are mostly fatal and untreatable, they mostly occur in mammals. Kuru is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), similar to other prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle.

Was There Any Diagnosis Or Treatment Of Kuru?

Neither was any cure available earlier, nor it is available now. There is no cure for Kuru, and the disease is typically fatal within a year after the onset of symptoms, there are no cases of it right now. Plus, its diagnosis is challenging, and it often requires post-mortem examination of brain tissue to confirm the presence of abnormal prion proteins.

What Do Research Tell Us?

Researchers have tried to find out how Kuru has played a significant role in advancing our understanding of prion diseases and how they spread through misfolded proteins. The study of kuru has also contributed to the development of guidelines and safeguards against the spread of prion diseases.

Conclusion

The aim of this article is to shed some light on the existence of such rare diseases. There are several other diseases that happened to impact people in earlier times but with the passing time and changes, their presence just diminished. Diseases like kuru disease are rare and fascinating, it is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with cannibalistic practices among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. Although the disease is now rare due to changes in cultural practices, it has provided important insights into the mechanisms of prion diseases and their transmission.