A ProMED-Mail post dated March 19th reported on a story distributed by TASS, the official news service of the Russian Federation, of an outbreak of HPAI. According to the release, now disproved, an apparent outbreak of avian influenza affected villagers of Velyka Oleksandrivka located near Kherson, that is under the control of the Republic of Ukraine. According to the TASS report, 18 villagers were hospitalized with two fatalities.
It is possible that a strain of human influenza that has been reported from five other villages in the vicinity was responsible for the cases.
The ProMED moderator of the original post rightly suggested disinformation, given the source of the article and the absence of confirmatory laboratory diagnostic procedures. Health authorities in Ukraine, vigorously denied the report that emanated from the Russian Federation.
Regrettably the ProMED posting will circulate on social media in truncated form deleting the source and the denial.