Today is Rare Disease Day, and in honour of the occasion, people are just learning about a 'laughing sickness' that kills everyone who catches it.

On Rare Disease Day, we highlight one rare brain disease discovered in the 1950s with a back story as harrowing as the disease itself – and the impact it has today ...

The disease, known as kuru, led to a loss of motor coordination and balance, and then to a body tremor resulting in death. At the height of the epidemic, some villages had a significantly reduced ...

One disease that is now considered rare has taken people on social media by surprise thanks to its concerning symptoms. Kuru, also known as "laughing disease" or "laughing death", was much more ...

The other 2 animals have developed a typical kuru-like syndrome with an unusually rapid course. One was killed late in the disease, only three months after onset; the other animal is deteriorating ...