Work among the people of the Okapa area from 1996 to the present

I have conducted fieldwork on kuru, with colleagues from the MRC Prion Unit and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR), since 1996. During this time, the fieldwork has been dependent on the support of the PNGIMR, and I thank the staff and the past and present Directors, Michael Alpers, John Reeder and Peter Siba, for their support. Michael’s vast knowledge and experience of Papua New Guinea has been invaluable and inspirational. I also thank my Papua New Guinean friends whose counsel has guided me through the occasional turbulent time. In particular, I thank Dr Inoni Betuela, Dr Ken Boone and his wife Lisa, Samson Akunaii, Anderson Puwa and Henry Pako. The members of the Kuru Project, past and present, have made a significant contribution to the success of the Project, and though I will not name them individually, it is important that their contributions be acknowledged in these proceedings. The collaboration of the local communities in 22 linguistic groups has allowed us to collect over 4000 blood samples, other specimens and interviews. Their participation has been generous and, without it, our knowledge of prion diseases would be more limited. The Papua New Guineans who attended the meeting represented all those people from Papua New Guinea who have assisted in the research on kuru over many years. Kuru is no longer a priority for the people affected: their health concerns are now focused on diseases that are no longer common in wealthy countries and on the emerging AIDS epidemic. For the duration of the project, we have tried to provide medical care where