Kuru Disease (Fore word for "shiver")

Endocannibalistic rituals were a defining characteristic of the Fore culture. The deaths were so frequent that the word spread all the way to America. The women and younger children would choose their entrees and they mostly consumed nervous tissue. Nervous tissue was most strongly infected by Kuru, which is why the women and children were the ones who were mostly affected by the disease. If they were exposed then fell ill and died, they would most likely be consumed by more Fore people which would cause them to continue to spread the disease. It was only a matter of time until the number of them exposed rose. More people would die until there was no one left. Some of the symptoms include muscle tremors, uncontrollable laughter, slurring of speech and an inability to move and swallow.

Evolution via Cannibalism: The Case of Kuru. http://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2009/11/19/evolution-via-cannibalism-the-case-of-kuru/ accessed November 20, 2012