--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1168,6 +1168,7 @@
                 panel_library = 'panelw'
             curses_libs = [curses_library]
             exts.append( Extension('_curses', ['_cursesmodule.c'],
+                                   include_dirs=['/usr/include/ncursesw'],
                                    libraries = curses_libs) )
         elif curses_library == 'curses' and platform != 'darwin':
                 # OSX has an old Berkeley curses, not good enough for
@@ -1188,6 +1189,7 @@
         if (module_enabled(exts, '_curses') and
             self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, panel_library)):
             exts.append( Extension('_curses_panel', ['_curses_panel.c'],
+                                   include_dirs=['/usr/include/ncursesw'],
                                    libraries = [panel_library] + curses_libs) )
         else:
             missing.append('_curses_panel')
Index: b/configure.ac
===================================================================
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1328,9 +1328,9 @@
 
 # checks for header files
 AC_HEADER_STDC
-AC_CHECK_HEADERS(asm/types.h conio.h curses.h direct.h dlfcn.h errno.h \
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS(asm/types.h conio.h direct.h dlfcn.h errno.h \
 fcntl.h grp.h \
-ieeefp.h io.h langinfo.h libintl.h ncurses.h poll.h process.h pthread.h \
+ieeefp.h io.h langinfo.h libintl.h poll.h process.h pthread.h \
 shadow.h signal.h stdint.h stropts.h termios.h thread.h \
 unistd.h utime.h \
 sys/audioio.h sys/bsdtty.h sys/epoll.h sys/event.h sys/file.h sys/loadavg.h \
@@ -1343,13 +1343,6 @@
 AC_HEADER_DIRENT
 AC_HEADER_MAJOR
 
-# On Solaris, term.h requires curses.h
-AC_CHECK_HEADERS(term.h,,,[
-#ifdef HAVE_CURSES_H
-#include <curses.h>
-#endif
-])
-
 # On Linux, netlink.h requires asm/types.h
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS(linux/netlink.h,,,[
 #ifdef HAVE_ASM_TYPES_H
@@ -4053,6 +4046,17 @@
   [Define if you have struct stat.st_mtimensec])
 fi
 
+ac_save_cppflags="$CPPFLAGS"
+CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -I/usr/include/ncursesw"
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS(curses.h ncurses.h)
+
+# On Solaris, term.h requires curses.h
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS(term.h,,,[
+#ifdef HAVE_CURSES_H
+#include <curses.h>
+#endif
+])
+
 # On HP/UX 11.0, mvwdelch is a block with a return statement
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether mvwdelch is an expression)
 AC_CACHE_VAL(ac_cv_mvwdelch_is_expression,
@@ -4107,6 +4111,7 @@
    AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)],
   [AC_MSG_RESULT(no)]
 )
+CPPFLAGS=$ac_save_cppflags
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for /dev/ptmx)