Malda, June 17: A bird flu scare in three villages in the Englishbazar area following the death of hundreds of chickens in the past few days was allayed today after veterinarians confirmed that the poultry was dying from Ranikhet disease that does not affect humans.

All birds had been culled on a war footing in the area in 2008 and the following year when the locality was hit by the avian flu v