Moreh, August 23: The Expert team set up to find out the origin of outbreak of Bird flu in Manipur reached here today and gave necessary instructions to be observed by the officials of the Veterinary office at the border town in this regard.

Soon after their arrival, the expert team went to the official gate no.1 and 2 of the Indo-Myanmar border trade and inspected the monitoring devices of the Veterinary Department to ban import of poultry products from Myanmar.

The team also went inside Myanmar to inspect the mechanism of rearing as well as selling poultry products in the border market of the neighbouring country.

The Expert team led by Commissioner of Animal Husbandry, Govt of India Dr NK Bandhopadhay comprised of Joint Secretary of Ministry of Health Vipin Choudhury, Director of National Institute of Animal Husbandry Dr JM Kataria, Dr AC Mishra of National Institute of Virology, ex-Joint Director of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory HK Pradhan, Joint Director Dr SC Dubey, Additional Chief Conservator of Forest, Govt of Manipur AK Rana; Director of Animal Husbandry Th Dorendro Singh and Dr AG Bandhodapadai of Eastern Regional Diagnosis, Kolkata.

After the inspection at gate no.1 and 2, the expert team convened a joint meeting at Forest Rest House at Moreh.

The meeting attended by SDC of Moreh Thingkhigin and Major Chirak of 24 Assam Rifles among others discussed the possible route of spreading the virus causing Bird flu to Manipur.

Deputy Director of Moreh Veterinary Sub-division Dr Thoiba informed that the expert team gave instructions on lifting ban on selling and consumption of poultry products brought from other parts of the State and the country while retaining the ban on import of poultry products from the neighbouring country.

Accordingly, sale and consumption of poultry products would be lifted from tomorrow while there would be no leniency on such items imported from Myanmar.

Although ban on poultry products from Myanmar has been in effect since March 2007, a blanket ban on consumption and selling of all poultry products was imposed in Moreh after outbreak of Bird flu in Manipur.