Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
2008
The End of Kuru: 50 Years of Research
Sample size: 90
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): John Collinge, Michael P. Alpers
Primary Institution: MRC Prion Unit and Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology
Conclusion
The epidemic of kuru has dramatically declined, with no patients reported in 2006 or 2007, marking a significant achievement in the fight against this disease.
Supporting Evidence
- The meeting celebrated 50 years of scientific research on kuru and its many achievements.
- At its peak, the kuru epidemic caused over 200 deaths a year.
- The Fore participants shared their experiences of loss and resilience during the epidemic.
Takeaway
Kuru, a disease that affected many people, is almost gone now, and scientists celebrated how far they've come in understanding and fighting it.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 90 individuals from around the world, including 15 Papua New Guineans, primarily from the Fore linguistic group.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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