West Nile misses us again

Cold weather brings an end to mosquitoes and the threat of West Nile virus. Last spring, I predicted to my colleagues in the newsroom that our state, Washington, would have its first human case in 2003. I was wrong.

Washington, Oregon and Maine now are the only states without a human case of the virus acquired within state lines, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Take a look at the CDC's West Nile map.

Idaho reported one case this year, a man who had been working with infected baby alligators imported from Florida.