A rapid expansion in India's poultry industry has prompted scientists to theorize an avian virus, novel to vultures, is the cause. Now, the vulture's decline appears to be affecting human health, according to some scientists. At last year's annual conference of the Association of Physicians of India in New Delhi, doctors reported that the incidence of human anthrax is rising. Wildlife scientists such as Prakash believe that the vultures' decline corresponds with the rise in anthrax. The Parsis unique religion is marked by its tradition regarding death, which calls for bodies to be left to vultures on hilltops known as towers of silence.
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
The disease most commonly occurs in wild and domestic lower vertebrates - cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes, and other herbivores. But it can occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. Inadequate vaccination and lack of cooperation from farmers means that livestock are vulnerable to infection, which is why animal anthrax remains endemic in India. Without vultures to dispose of dumped animal carcasses, anthrax is spreading to humans, according to the Association of Physicians of India. Rapid disposal of anthrax carcasses is a key to controlling the spread of anthrax.