Final answer:
The social distribution of kuru in Papua New Guinea was influenced by gender-based entitlement patterns due to practices of ritual cannibalism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The social distribution of the disease kuru in Papua New Guinea reflects an entitlement pattern based on the microcultural factor of gender. This fatal disease was once common among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, and its spread was linked to the practice of ritual cannibalism, where women and children were more likely to participate in eating the bodies of the dead, including the brains, where the infectious prions were most concentrated. Thus, the distribution pattern of kuru was heavily influenced by gender roles and expectations within that society.