Have you heard of this rare condition? (stock image) (Image: Phil Fisk via Getty Images)
A rare ‘laughing disease’ that causes sufferers to giggle or cry uncontrollably kills 100% of those who catch it.
Today (Friday, February 28) is Rare Day, a day which looks to raise “awareness and [generate] change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and carers.” To mark the day, we’re taking a look at a condition that is fortunately now all but eradicated, but was very concerning when it was in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kuru, also called “laughing disease” or “laughing death”, was relatively common among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea at this time. In a post to , account All That’s Interesting outlined the of this disease, writing: “In the 1950s, researchers exploring Papua New Guinea made contact with a tribe of 11,000 people called the Fore and soon learned that a strange disease was wiping out 200 of them per year. Though experts first thought that the illness was caused by contaminants or genetics, they eventually found out the real cause – which was far more disturbing.”
The illness was most common in adult women and children, who contracted it after eating the brains of deceased members of their families as part of a funeral ritual. According to the post: “One researcher explained, ‘If the body was buried, it was eaten by worms. If it was placed on a platform, it was eaten by maggots. The Fore believed it was much better that the body was eaten by people who loved the deceased than by worms and insects.'”
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“This practice stopped in 1960, but cases of kuru were reported for many years afterward because the disease has a long incubation period,” Medline Plus states. “The average incubation period is 10 to 13 years, but incubation period of 50 years or even longer have also been reported.”
The disease occurs when people consume infectious prions, an abnormal protein which can cause brain damage as well as other conditions. As the brain contained the highest concentration of prions, those who consumed this part of the body were at most risk of developing kuru.
Symptoms of kuru – which means “trembling” and comes from the Fore word kuria or guria, which “to shake” – include muscle twitching and loss of coordination. “Other symptoms include difficulty walking, involuntary movements, behavioural and mood changes, dementia, and difficulty eating,” HealthLine states. “Random, compulsive laughing or crying” is also a symptom of kuru, giving the disease its nickname.
There is no known cure for kuru. Sufferers typically die within one year of presenting symptoms. “The last three cases of kuru occurred in 2003, 2005 and 2009 with incubation periods in excess of 50 years,” University College London’s website states.