Kuru is a prion disease, endemic to New Guinea, and is related to Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.Infection with Kuru causes headaches, joint pain, and continual trembling. The later stages include mental instability and complete immobility in the person. The span in which symptoms persist is about 12 months. The symptoms are divided into three stages, and an infected person will usually die within three years after infection. Kuru was transmitted originally through the practice of endo-cannibalism by native peoples in the New Guinea region. The disease was first documented during an expedition in the area in 1953 by an Australian expedition.
