Singapore will lift a ban on poultry imports from Selangor and Perak after the country declared itself free of bird flu, authorities said Wednesday.

From Friday, poultry from two states would be allowed into the city-state, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement.

"AVA is satisfied that bird flu has been effectively eliminated from poultry in Malaysia and the disease prevention and control measures implemented by DVS are adequate and in line with international standards," it said.

DVS is Malaysia's Department of of Veterinary Services.

Singapore imposed the ban in March after an outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus was discovered in the Perak. The ban on Selangor was enforced in February.

Last Thursday, Malaysia declared itself free of bird flu after there were no fresh outbreaks for the past three months.

Malaysia reported a rash of outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain from February when it appeared in free-range chickens in villages near Kuala Lumpur, triggering the slaughter of tens of thousands of poultry.

Since then the country has suffered five other outbreaks of the virus among poultry in the northern states of Perak and Penang.

Affluent Singapore has virtually no agricultural sector and relies on imports for most of its food.

Before the poultry ban was imposed, Selangor supplied about three percent of Singapore's eggs while Perak provided 80 percent of its ducks.

Nearly 130 people have died of bird flu around the world since late 2003, the vast majority of them in Asia. Vietnam accounts for 42 while 39 people have died in Singapore's neighbour, Indonesia.