The disease, known as kuru, led to a loss of motor coordination and balance, and then to a body tremor resulting in death. At the height of the epidemic, some villages had a significantly reduced ...

Today is Rare Disease Day, and to mark it, we're taking a look at one condition that killed all those who contracted it in a rather disturbing way.

This sometimes meant they consumed abnormally folded proteins, called prions, that can cause a fatal neurodegenerative condition called kuru – which is related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

The other 2 animals have developed a typical kuru-like syndrome with an unusually rapid course. One was killed late in the disease, only three months after onset; the other animal is deteriorating ...

One disease that is now considered rare has taken people on social media by surprise thanks to its concerning symptoms. Kuru, also known as "laughing disease" or "laughing death", was much more ...