<P> The term kuru derives from the Fore word kuria or guria ( `` to shake '' ) , due to the body tremors that are a classic symptom of the disease and kúru itself means `` trembling '' . It is also known as the `` laughing sickness '' due to the pathologic bursts of laughter which are a symptom of the disease . It is now widely accepted that kuru was transmitted among members of the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea via funerary cannibalism . Deceased family members were traditionally cooked and eaten , which was thought to help free the spirit of the dead . Women and children usually consumed the brain , the organ in which infectious prions were most concentrated , thus allowing for transmission of kuru . The disease was therefore more prevalent among women and children . </P>
what explanation was provided as to why the fore where dying from kuru
kuru was transmitted among members of the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea via funerary cannibalism